Blithe
by KudleyFan93
Summary: Mordecai becomes a daddy when a baby girl is left at the doorstep. Will he raise her on his own, or will he receive a little help from a certain red robin? Kind of my first story that almost completely revolves around MordecaixMargaret. R&R please!
1. The Discovery

Blithe

Chapter One

Synopsis: Mordecai becomes a daddy when a baby girl is left at the doorstep. Will he raise her on his own, or will he receive a little help from a certain red robin?

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, here's a new story. I decided to do something new. Heh! Also, please don't think this is going to be a plagiarized version of BrunoMarslover21's "****_A Change Between Us_****", it's not. It's going to be alot different. By the way, check out BrunoMarslover21's stories! They are beyond-the-moon epic!**

**Anyway, I present to you: Blithe. Sorry if it sucks.**

The sun was just beginning to set and closing time at Maellard Park was nearing. Mostly everyone had retreated to their homes and then sat down at the dinner table for supper. A familiar blue jay and raccoon were both lazily splayed out across the couch in the middle of the living room, their eyes locked on the television which was bright and alive and screeching with sounds of car tires squealing and women and men screaming in horror.

"Pfft, this movie is so lame. That blood is obviously fake… it's just red spray paint for freak's sake!" Rigby bellowed. Mordecai rolled his shoulders in agreement, "I know, it is pretty dumb." "Turn this crap off. I can't take anymore." The raccoon mumbled. His tall blue friend nodded and grabbed the remote to turn the television off when he heard a gentle rapping on the door. This was odd because normally people didn't come to the Park during afterhours, and mostly everyone had already gone home by now. Curious, Mordecai walked over to the door and slowly twisted the knob, allowing the door to creak open just a crack.

Nothing. No one was there. This irritated the blue jay dearly. "Alright, whoever you are, enough of the lame pranks. I know you're out here!" He took a step forward only to hear what sounded like a delicate whimper beneath him. Mordecai looked down in confusion and his eyes immediately widened in surprise. A small bassinet layered with soft fleece blankets sat on the front porch. There was a rustling beneath the blankets and suddenly, a tiny orange beak peaked out from the many folds of blankets.

Mordecai froze as the blanket was pushed away by a tiny brown hand. Slowly but surely he stooped down onto his knees and helped the invisible force peel away the rest of the blankets. Sure enough a small, fluffy brown head popped out. With walnut-colored eyes, the female baby turkey that lay in the bassinet appeared to be a little younger than nine months old. She was clothed in nothing but a diaper and was quaking violently. Although there were several heavy layers of blankets covering her tiny body, they were no match for the bitter, frigid pre-winter wind.

Mordecai was paralyzed in shock. Someone had just left this baby here without a word or even a note to explain. They had simply dumped her on the front porch and abandoned her completely. "_Heartless jerks_," Mordecai thought. His initial reaction was to immediately call the police, but all they would do was give her away to some orphanage and confine her to a crib for the rest of her days until she was adopted; fat chance. The next idea that popped into his mind was to bring the girl inside and keep her warm. Then he realized something: Rigby was just feet away from him, completely unaware of the discovery of the newborn girl. How would Rigby react to a baby? There was no way he could convince Rigby to let the baby stay in their room. Well, maybe not that difficult, but Mordecai knew that Rigby wasn't a fan of drooling, crying, smelly babies. It would take a lot of persuasion and bribes to coax that raccoon into sharing their room with the baby.

Mordecai gazed deep into the baby's eyes, and she stared right back. The direct penetrating stare of the infant alarmed him briefly, before he noticed the wet drool running down the girl's chin. She gave a tiny smile and cooed up at him quietly. The blue jay felt his heart melt at the sight of the innocent and helpless being lying before him. He felt genuinely concerned for this infant's safety. Gently, Mordecai lifted up the basket and hid the baby girl's face with one of the blankets. He didn't want Rigby to freak out if he came in holding a basket with a baby inside of it.

As Mordecai re-entered the living room there laid Rigby, shoveling handful after handful of potato chips into his mouth, uncaring if anyone saw him. Mordecai came closer which drew Rigby's attention.

The raccoon glanced towards his friend and noticed the shaken expression on his face. "Hey dude. What took ya so long? For a second there I thought you spaced out over there." His eyes made contact with the hidden basket peeking out from behind Mordecai's back and he frowned in curiosity. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That. The basket. What's in the basket?"

"There's nothing in the basket."

As if on cue, a high pitched squeak erupted from the blankets followed by a loud wail. Rigby screeched in agony at the volume of the cry, his paws flying to his ears. "Holy cheese! What the heck is that?!" He exclaimed. Mordecai groaned; his cover had been broken and this stupid baby was probably hungry. _Perfect_ timing.

Mordecai gently lowered the basket to the floor and lifted the wailing baby girl out, holding her to his shoulder as he patted her back in an attempt to soothe her cries. It was no avail as the girl continued to cry loudly. Rigby noticed the baby in his arms and his eye twitched. Mordecai knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Where. Did. You. Get. That. Thing."

"I don't know! I opened the door and there she was! Someone left her here!" Mordecai shouted over the loud wailing. By now the infant's face had gone red and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Rigby moaned, "Would you shut her up then?!" "What does it look like I'm trying to do?!"

The raccoon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Does she need to be…eugh…changed?"

Mordecai reluctantly peeled open the front and back of the diaper to check. He breathed a sigh of relief, "Nope. She's clean."

"What if she's hungry? Don't we have formula or something she can eat?"

"Oh, right! Last Tuesday Starla brought over her niece, remember? I think that she left some formula and bottles behind! Here, take her," Mordecai said, quickly placing her in Rigby's arms, making the raccoon recoil a bit. By now the baby was crying extremely loudly, kicking her feet and batting at the air ferociously. Rigby had no idea what to do.

A few minutes later, Mordecai emerged with a bottle of baby formula in hand. He took the baby into his arms and aimed the engorged nipple toward her tiny beak. Her cries died down at last when she finally accepted the nipple and began to happily nurse on the formula within. The noise the baby made while she was nursing was incredible; it was a veritable cacophony of slurps, sucks, and sighs of contentment that any other infant would elicit during its feeding time. Mordecai stared down at the baby stoically while she enjoyed her meal without further rancor.

The awkward tension between Mordecai and Rigby was at an all-time high at this point. "Should we call somebody?" Rigby piped up. Mordecai nodded, "Yeah, I might know somebody who can help."

Margaret Smith was just finishing up on her shift at the Coffee Shop when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She grabbed it and looked at the caller Id, Mordecai, it read with a small heart at the end. Blushing, Margaret quickly answered it, "Hello?"

"Yeah, Margaret?" Mordecai's voice responded.

Margaret smiled to herself, "Oh hey Mordecai. I didn't expect you to call me." The blush on her face grew warmer as she spoke, her heart soaring and fluttering within her chest. "I've…I've got a little problem. Do you think you could come over soon?" Mordecai asked with hope.

Margaret automatically shouted into the phone, "Yes!" She realized the volume of her reply and quieted, "I mean, sure. I can come over." "Great, thanks. I'll see ya soon."

The call ended there and Margaret bolted out the door, throwing off her apron as she rushed to her car. She knew Eileen would take care of everything else. Afterall, there was only a minute until closing time. It didn't matter to her boss now. Margaret got into her vehicle and cruised off towards the Park.

Baby "no-name" had just fallen asleep after polishing off the rest of her formula and was cradled in Mordecai's arms. He and Rigby simply stared at the infant in amazement, still experiencing after shock. This baby was thrust into their care without warning. Of course they were scared and inarticulately confused.

Mordecai hear the low hum of a car pulling up and immediately stood up, walking towards the front door. He waited until he heard footsteps approaching the doormat to open it. When she heard the door open Margaret lifted her head. Her eyes instantly locked on the baby turkey in Mordecai's arms and she became quiet.

Mordecai grinned nervously. "Yeah…I know. Come on in. I'll explain." He made a welcoming gesture into the house, beckoning her to come closer. With some hesitation, Margaret stepped into the foyer, her pupils bobbling towards the baby and then back to Mordecai. "Is this why you called me?" She inquired with a slight hint of hurt in her voice. "To help you with a baby?"

"Margaret, let me explain. Rigby and I were watching a movie and someone knocked on the door. I answered it and I saw this…this baby sitting there in a basket. Someone abandoned her." Mordecai paused to take a deep breath. He sighed, "And I didn't know what else to do except call you."

Margaret understood now. She nodded empathetically and extended her wings toward the sleeping infant. "Is it okay if I hold her?"

Mordecai nodded and handed the peacefully-napping baby girl to her, feeling a wave of envy and anxiety wash over him as the baby detached from his hold. A strange, warm feeling in his chest disquieted him. It was an uncontrollable feeling of love and concern for the infant. Like he had connecting bond between the girl that he didn't want to let go of. Mordecai felt like he never wanted to let her go again. When she was drinking from her bottle earlier he couldn't help but feel a similar emotion.

Mordecai studied Margaret's features warily as she carefully held the sleeping baby. The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile, "She's lovely."

"Uh, sure."

Another passionate sensation hit him as he regarded Margaret. She looked so attractive holding the newborn bundle. She almost exuded an angelic, motherly glow that hung over her like a palpable halo. She shimmered with the radiance of a goddess in his eyes.

The baby began to whimper in her sleep as she nuzzled her tiny head deep into Margaret's chest. Her tiny fists gripped the folds of Margaret's blouse tightly as her little fingers kneaded the silky fabric in apparent anxiety. "She must be dreaming," Margaret giggled. "What an adorable little baby. I wish I could keep her."

"Why don't you then?" Mordecai said jokingly, "She doesn't really belong to anyone afterall." At that moment he felt a stab of guilt drill through his heart. There was no way he could give this baby up now. She was meant to be his, his soul told him. Mordecai knew that.

"So have you named her yet?"

Mordecai snapped back to reality. "Oh, sorry, uh, what?"

"I said have you named her yet?"

"Umm, no. Not yet," Mordecai replied. He mentally slapped himself. Of course the baby needed a name! Why hadn't he thought of that yet? "Uh, me and Rigby sort of just call her Baby no-name."

Margaret laughed, "It's a good start, but she'll need a real name." She looked down at the baby and then looked back up at Mordecai, smiling, "You know…I've always thought that Blithe was a good name."

"Blithe?" Mordecai repeated.

"Yeah, Blithe. It means happy and easygoing, just like this little one."

"Blithe…Blithe…" Mordecai twirled the mentioned appellation around his tongue just to see if it would fit. It did. "Blithe sounds great." He declared, smiling widely. Margaret grinned, "Awesome."

After a short, conversational chat together, Mordecai and Margaret entered the living room to find Rigby snoring to beat the band. Apparently the abrupt arrival of the new baby had already physically and emotionally wore him out. Mordecai shook his head and mumbled, "Lazy."

Not too long after Margaret left the house and went to the nearest store to pick up some baby care items, as they were going to need them eventually. It was getting darker outside and the clock read seven fifty nine. Rigby had gone upstairs to bed already while Mordecai stayed downstairs to wait for Margaret's return. Blithe had woken up not too long after she left and was bored. In order to keep her occupied, Mordecai laid her on his chest as he lay on the couch and stared into her eyes, talking to her from time to time.

Eventually Blithe became cranky and tired again and fell back asleep, this time she fell asleep on his chest. Mordecai couldn't help but smile as the same heartfelt emotions from earlier came flooding back to him. He knew that he would always protect his little Blithe. He was her daddy now. And that was all that mattered. After half an hour of staring lovingly at his little girl Mordecai became rather sleepy himself. His eyelids felt twitchy and heavy and he felt his mind shut down. Soon he was already in a deep sleep. Unconsciously, his hand arose from its spot on the couch and gently located itself over Blithe's sleeping body.

Almost an hour later Margaret returned from the store and walked into the living room to greet Mordecai, only to find him in a dead sleep with Blithe lying on his chest. Margaret smiled to herself. This was going to be a great adventure.

* * *

**Soooo, did ya like it? I think I could have done better on this one, since I'm not a pro at writing romantic/fluffy stuff, but hopefully you guys will like it more than I do. Tell me what ya think!**

**Also, Blithe is actually a turkey/owl mix. Weird combination, but I thought it seemed unique. No, Blithe isn't going to be the main character of this story or a Mary Sue. I intend this story to mainly be a MordecaixMargaret story. Don't worry, there will be fluff and lots of it in the future. Hehe. :3**


	2. Daddy

**Well! I know you guys weren't expecting an update this quickly but I was in a fluff mood, so here you go. I intend to try and update this story daily. I hope you like it! **

**(SPOILERS!) Also, did you guys watch the Thanksgiving Special? Totally epic! And we finally got to see everyone's parents. I KNEW THOMAS' MOM WOULD BE THERE! I KNEW IT! And also, what was up with Rigby's parents? They were both Don's height! Freaky genes, I guess. XD**

**Warning! Ultimate cuteness ahead! You have been warned!**

* * *

The return of the sun arrived within the early hours of the morning and most of the citizens were up and awake, either on their way to work or off to school. Mordecai slowly woke up to the sound of someone invading his personal privacy. He opened his eyes only to see Blithe staring directly into his eyes with a blank expression on her face.

The blue jay chuckled and slowly sat up on the sofa, back arched as he held onto Blithe. "Morning B," He smiled at her, making her smile back in response. She cooed up at Mordecai adorably and then looked down, exploring her toes. Mordecai rolled his eyes and stood up, stretching his weak muscles while holding Blithe close to him. Blithe wrapped her tiny arms around his neck shyly and burrowed her small head into the hollow of his shoulder for protection.

"You hungry? I sure am. I could go for some pancakes. What about you, Blithe?" He asked her, walking into the kitchen. Blithe remained completely silent, blinking abstractedly in response. "I wonder where Margaret went." Mordecai mused to himself.

He walked into the kitchen only to find Rigby and Margaret sitting at the kitchen table. Rigby was feasting on a bowl of Soggy Oats while Margaret treated herself to a banana and a fiber bar. They both noticed Mordecai entering the kitchen and waved to him. "Morning dude." "Good morning, Mordecai."

"Hey guys," Mordecai grinned, taking a seat of his own. His eyes drifted to the large highchair that had been set up at the table and laughed, "Wow Margaret, did you put that there yourself?"

"Nope, I got a little help from that Skips guy earlier. He didn't even question it. Does he already know about Blithe?" The robin probed. Mordecai shrugged, "He does now. Does…does Benson know?" He looked at Rigby worriedly. Rigby shook his head, "Nope, not yet."

"Don't worry Mordecai; I'm sure he'll understand." Margaret assured him. Mordecai smiled at her encouragement and gently placed Blithe in the highchair. "Are you hungry, baby girl? Hm?" He playfully inquired. Blithe chortled happily and rocked back and forth in the highchair excitedly. Mordecai then left to prepare her some oatmeal and formula.

"Oh Mordecai," Margaret hollered as her forefinger reached in and peeled back the front of Blithe's diaper. "I think she's a little wet. Have you even changed her yet?" Mordecai froze in place. Oh great. It had slipped his mind: babies required obligatory diaper changes daily. Rigby cracked and began to laugh. The raccoon laughed so much that he fell out of his chair and landed limp to the ground as he continued to hoot uproariously.

"Okay, fine, I'll change her. Could you hold down the fort here? Rigby might need a bib like Blithe when he starts eating again." Mordecai teased, lifting Blithe out of his highchair, who had been giggling at the sight of her Uncle Rigby rolling around on the floor. As she was lifted out of the highchair, gravity snatched the sopping wet diaper from Blithe's behind, causing the white banner of infancy to slither down her legs and drop to the seat of the high chair with a wet audible plop. Blithe burst into a fit of giggles as her charms were revealed to everyone. Worse yet, an uneven yellow arc of pee spouted uncontrollably from her nether regions, squirting helplessly in the air.

"Woah, whoa!" Mordecai exclaimed, breaking into a grin at the sight, "Fire in the hole!" He joked.

Margaret swiftly grabbed the fallen diaper and covered up Blithe's privates to stop the urine flow, laughing all the while.

Mordecai and Rigby stood in shock. Margaret saw their slack-jawed expressions and rolled her eyes, "Oh grow up. It happens. Babies do this sort of thing frequently." "No, no, not that…you just…you reacted really quickly." Mordecai said. Margaret smiled, "I have over a dozen cousins, remember? And they're all way younger than me. Of course I've had experience with babies before."

Blithe squealed happily and laughed, kicking her legs in the air eagerly. Mordecai chuckled, "Okay, okay messy girl. Let's go get you cleaned up. Margaret? Can you heat up her formula and oatmeal? I already got them ready." "Of course."

Mordecai then carried Blithe into the living room and laid her down onto the floor. He grabbed one of the grocery bags that Margaret had bought last night that were full of infant care supplies, diapers, wipes, extra bottles and formula, a pacifier, and a few toys to keep her entertained until a real nursery was in production. He grabbed the package of clean baby diapers and ripped it open, pulling out one of the fresh disposables. The smell of baby powder was overpowering. Mordecai assumed that all diapers were perfumed with the saccharine fragrance of sweetened corn starch before they were packaged and put on the market.

Mordecai then grasped Blithe's tiny, chubby ankles with one hand and lifted her legs so he could wipe the stale urine from her bottom. Blithe gazed up at her ankles being held firmly in the grip of her daddy's soft hand as he kept her legs aloft. She cooed up at him sweetly, tiny rivulets of drool and spit bubbles coursing down her chin. But she didn't mind. Her daddy was there to keep her safe and clean and happy.

Mordecai turned her over again and grasped her ankles again in one hand as picked up the diaper with his other hand. Blithe involuntarily chuckled in glee as he raised her legs again to slip the diaper beneath her bottom. Mordecai stretched out the wings of the diaper to insure a good fit and grabbed the tall tub of baby powder. He lightly dusted her rear with its soft contents and pulled the front of the diaper up between Blithe's legs. He then taped both sides down securely, making sure to smooth out the wrinkles on both sides so that her diaper would be comfortable.

"Done." Mordecai breathed in relief. "Well that was easy. I think I did a good job. What say you?" Blithe cooed in response as she attempted to bring her foot to her mouth to suck on those round thingies. Mordecai smiled and gently grabbed one of her toes, tickling the sole of it. At first Blithe was surprised by his attentions, but she rapidly became engrossed with his paternal baby play. "Davy, Davy Dumpling," Mordecai sang in a rapper's voice as he tickled her legs, "Boil him in a pot and Sugar him," he continued while he tapped her tummy gently. "Butter him," he smirked as stroked her belly lengthwise one way with his palm, taking his other hand and stroking the other way, "And eat him while he's hot!" Mordecai put his beak close to her tummy and made munching noises as he pretended to nibble on her tummy. Blithe squealed and giggled extravagantly; this was something she liked!

"You like that, huh? Well, if you enjoyed that, I guess you'll like this!" Mordecai pushed up Blithe's feet until her knees met her chest and began a new game while holding her tiny feet. "Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoes," he began, once again using the voice of a rapper as he weaved her feet back and forth. "Have it done by half past two," He playfully tapped Blithe's heels together. "Stitch it up and stitch it down," he continued, making playful motions of sewing the heels of Blithe's feet together. Then Mordecai lightly hammered the soles of her feet and grinned, "Now nail the heel all around!"

Blithe giggled in delight and bobbed her head up and down wildly, as if asking for more "theater". Mordecai smiled; even he was having fun doing this. He remembered that when he was a little boy his mother used to do the same to him until he was six. Although normally people forgot memories such as those, they were too special for Mordecai to forget. Ever. Mordecai was so taken with the appearance of his new daughter that he instigated a new game.

He flipped Blithe over on her tummy and began, "Criss-cross," he began in the same rapper's voice as he traced an "X" across her back with his fingertips, "Applesauce," he continued while tapping her shoulders as he enunciated each syllable. Then Mordecai cupped his fingers together like a large spider and made light dancing motions up the diaper clad girl's back, singing, "Spiders climbing up your back!" He playfully blew on her neck. Mordecai then picked the laughing baby girl up and hugged her. Without warning he began tickling Blithe all over. "Now you've got the shiveries!"

Blithe laughed and drooled in perfect appreciation for his loving attentions. Her old Mommy and Daddy never did stuff like this with her! This was lovely! She cooed and babbled nonsensically to Mordecai as if she was trying to start a conversation with him. Mordecai smiled and he felt his heart melt again. This was genuinely precious to him; this was something that actually made his childhood memories feel significant to him. Even after just a little playtime with his little girl he still felt like she was truly his, genes and all.

"Aww, Mordecai, that was so cute!"

Mordecai jumped in surprise and whirled around, seeing Margaret in the doorway. He blushed and grinned nervously, "So you saw that, huh?"

Margaret giggled and walked over, taking a seat next to him. "Yeah, I saw it. But I thought it was sweet. Look at her; she looks so pleased." Mordecai glanced at Blithe. Indeed, she looked satisfied with that huge, goofy, toothless grin on her rosy little face. She was still chuckling quietly in amusement as she squirmed in her Daddy's big arms. Mordecai couldn't help but smile. "Yeah…"

"Anyway, I got her breakfast ready. You wanna come?" Margaret stood up, holding out her hand. Mordecai nodded, "Sure." He grasped her hand, which felt relatively warm, only increasing his blush. Even though he couldn't see it quite well, Margaret's cheeks had a light blush of their own. The two birds walked into the kitchen, with Mordecai holding his bouncing baby girl all the while.

* * *

**Well that's the end of chapter two! Not much happened and basically it was a filler chapter, but a fluffy one anyway. I hope you liked! :3**


	3. Telling & Special Plans

**Well, here's chapter three! And thanks to everyone who faved, reviewed, and followed this story, it means alot! I know that this chapter is short, and it may just be another filler chapter, but I promise; in later chapters more..."stuff" will happen! ;)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Mordecai took a deep breath in order to calm his springy nerves; the Park Meeting was in almost five minutes and Benson still didn't know about Blithe's presence. After Blithe had been fed breakfast, Mordecai wrapped his little girl into a blanket and carried her outside to the porch, making sure that she wasn't visible from behind the blanket as he took a seat on one of the stairs.

Everyone was already there; Skips, Pops, Muscle Man, Thomas, Rigby, and Benson. While the others sat on the steps Benson stood in front of them, scribbling away on his clipboard. He lifted his head to face his employees and his eyes immediately locked on the blanket in Mordecai's arms. It appeared to be wiggling around, as if something was inside. He rolled his eyes, "Everyone, Mordecai has a special announcement to make."

"Yeah, thanks Benson." Mordecai stood up, peeling away the folds of the blankets to reveal Blithe. At that moment everyone gasped; Benson's eyes nearly popped out of his dome in surprise. Mordecai sighed, "This is Blithe. Last night I found her here on the porch in a basket. Someone left her here and apparently wanted me to take care of her." He tickled Blithe's chin and smiled a bit, "I guess you could say she's my kid now."

The air was bitterly silent. Skips bowed his head slightly while everyone looked towards Benson in askance. Benson was the most shocked out of all; the clipboard that was once gripped tightly in his hands slipped past his fingers and plummeted to the ground with a loud clatter. His eye twitched briefly. Nothing.

Mordecai knew this was a bad sign. "Look Benson, I'll take care of her! I'll pay for her diapers and formula and everything, and I'll never let her out of my sight! Please Benson, I don't want her to go to an orphanage! She deserves better! Her parents just abandoned her! Plea—"

"You can keep her."

Mordecai froze at those words. "I can? You're…you're not mad?"

Benson nodded, "Keep her. I don't care what you do. As long as she doesn't bother the others during work hours, you can keep her and adopt her if you want."

"Thanks so much Benson! It means alot! Really, it does!" Mordecai exclaimed joyously, hugging his daughter tightly. Normally he wouldn't get this excited over something, but he couldn't help it. For some reason he was overjoyed at the news. Pops giggled merrily in delight and threw his arms into the air, "Good show! Jolly good show! Mordecai, my good man, may we see your daughter?"

Mordecai smiled and nodded, "Sure guys." Everyone leaned in to get a good look at the baby, even Benson. Blithe looked up at all the unfamiliar strangers and hugged her daddy for comfort. "Aww, she's shy." Thomas remarked.

"She's lovely, absolutely lovely!" Pops chimed. His hand dipped into his pocket, withdrawing a butterscotch ripple lollipop. "Here you go, darling." He handed the lollipop to Blithe, who seemed to be confused. Slowly, she inserted the yellow round thingy into her mouth and twirled her tongue around it, savoring the sweet flavor. Blithe giggled and pulled the saliva-colored lolli out of her mouth, holding it up to her daddy as if wanting him to try it. Mordecai smiled, "No B, that's for you." He pushed it back into her mouth and held it for her to ensure that she wouldn't choke.

"She's great, Mordecai. Congrats. Just for Blithe's sake, I'll triple your paycheck for this week." Benson said, smiling at the blue jay. Mordecai returned the smile with a large grin, "Thanks Benson."

Suddenly Muscle Man started laughing. "Ha! Looks like Daddy Mordo's gonna be busy with diaper duty from now on!" He jested with a wide smirk. Mordecai rolled his eyes all the way to the Heavens as if searching for strength. All in all he was grateful that everyone was accepting about this situation. He was thankful that Benson was okay with it like the others.

Mordecai looked back down at Blithe and laughed; the baby girl had managed to take the lollipop out of her mouth and stick it on her forehead. Gently peeling it off, Mordecai stuck it back in her mouth and said playfully, "You silly girl." Blithe giggled.

* * *

"So how did it go? Was everything alright?" Margaret asked anxiously as Mordecai came back into the house with Blithe in his arms. He nodded, "Yep, everything went great. Benson said she can stay." He said proudly. Margaret grinned, "All right! That's great Mordecai. Who wouldn't wanna keep this cute little angel anyway?" She patted Blithe's tummy. Suddenly Margaret's expression became more serious as she said, "You do realize what a big responsibility she's going to be, right? She's not gonna cute and sweet forever."

Mordecai's heart dropped into the pits of his stomach as he realized this. How was he gonna do this? He heard that being a parent definitely wasn't easy. Would he be able to do this? And could he do it on his own? That's when he remembered Margaret the other night when she first held Blithe. She looked gorgeous, absolutely breathtaking in his eyes. She looked so motherly and caring, like she had a soft spot for Blithe just like he did. That's when he knew that Margaret was the one. Of course, he didn't want to rush into things. He wanted to take things slow and easy; forcing Margaret into this would beyond doubt ruin their relationship. Maybe if he left Blithe alone with Margaret, she would feel a bond and want to mother her. The plan was in motion as he looked directly into Margaret's eyes.

"Margaret?"

"Yes, Mordecai?"

"W-would you…would you like to go out this Friday night? I mean, we could go to dinner or something special…" The blue jay hesitated a bit when the words came out of his mouth. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, waiting for her answer. Margaret pulled Mordecai closer to her, "How about you, me, and Blithe go somewhere together instead? You know, you and Blithe could spend some daddy-daughter time together and we could still be together at the same time. Plus I could get to know Blithe better. How about you?"

The same blush from the night before returned. Both of the birds' faces were bright red as they inched closer to each other. "S-sure, that sounds cool." Mordecai replied with a bashful smile. He was about to go in for a kiss when Margaret's phone began to ring. The robin quickly answered it and her face sagged in apparent disappointment. "Ugh, it's my boss. He wants me to come in for the early afternoon shift. I'll see you later, Mordecai!" Margaret grabbed her jacket and headed out the door with haste.

Mordecai stood frozen in place for a few minutes. Sighing at the missed opportunity, he headed into the living room and laid Blithe on the sofa while he went through the groceries that Margaret had bought last night. He found a portable stroller and figured that Blithe could sit in it and play while he and Rigby worked. Since fall was nearing, all of the leaves were in need of raking, and it was obvious that it was his and Rigby's next assignment. Mordecai also noticed that Margaret had bought a winter outfit and a blanket for Blithe to stay warm in the cool weather. Perfect. He would thank Margaret later, first he needed to get his little girl dressed and ready.

When the portable stroller had been set up and Blithe was ready and bundled up, Mordecai buckled her in and carried the stroller outside to meet Rigby. They grabbed their rakes and began scraping up the dead leaves while Blithe sat nearby in her stroller, smiling at her surroundings without a care in the world. She would coo and laugh occasionally if a flock of birds flew by or an army of industrious squirrels intent on burying their nutritious acorn booty scurried past her stroller.

Meanwhile, Mordecai and Rigby worked hard raking the leaves. Well, Mordecai mostly. Rigby wasn't doing a very sufficient job, but of course that was just Rigby being Rigby. Mordecai would constantly glance over at Blithe to make sure that she was safe and sound, and each time he did she would be fine. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid," He thought, nearly digging up a whole chunk of the ground with his rake in anxiety. Noticing that the area he had been "raking" was free of leaves the entire time, he moved to a different spot that was closer to Blithe and continued working.

* * *

**...Okay, maybe I could've done better than this and added more, but it would ruin my plans for what I've got in store for all of you... ;D**


	4. Arcade, Playdate, and a Question

**Alright you Mordaret fans, this is the chapter you've been waiting for. Major cliffhanger at the end! You wouldn't wanna miss it! I promise you that!**

* * *

After a long, hard day at work, Mordecai and Rigby retired to the couch with Blithe tucked away in her daddy's arms. It was about half past two and Rigby was bored. The raccoon turned to look at his friend with a grin on his face as an idea occurred to him, "Hey Mordecai? What say you, me, and Baby B over here go to the arcade?"

"I don't know," Mordecai replied sheepishly. He gestured to Blithe, "Probably not. I don't have anyone to watch her. Margaret's at work, so I can't just leave her here, and everyone else is too busy." "Dude, let's just take her with us." Rigby responded immediately.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't it be too…guyish for her?" "Mordecai, she has oatmeal for brains. She'll think it's the coolest place in the world, and it is! So come on, let's go!" Rigby urged, standing up. Mordecai sighed, "Okay, fine." He placed Blithe back in her portable stroller and wheeled it out the door, following Rigby as the raccoon raced towards the cart.

When they arrived at the arcade, voices of women screaming in horror as their electronic heroes were gutted by the eternally sharp blades of their digital foes were heard from all around them. Grim-faced children fed quarter after quarter into the slots of the purveyors of computerized violence. Winning wasn't merely important there, it was the only thing!

Much to Mordecai's relief, however, the loud noise didn't seem to upset Blithe in the slightest. In fact, she laughed in delight as they passed by several arcade games and saw the bright screens with tiny digital characters ran around, battling their cyber enemies with or without rancor.

Eventually, Rigby found a two-player game station that looked interesting. It was a computerized simulation of a commando attack on an enemy fortress. The static advertising display promised in lurid letters and gut-wrenching graphics both gore and extreme levels of violence. Rigby grinned and was about to feed the machine with a few coins when he felt someone pull him away.

"Duuuude! What was that for?!" Rigby whined as Mordecai pried him away from the game. Mordecai shook his head in fatherly disapproval, "No way. We're not playing that. I don't want Blithe to look at that kind of stuff anymore." "Aw come on Mordeca—" "I said no. Come on, I know the perfect place."

The blue jay led his raccoon friend to a door and opened it, revealing a whole new area. The occupants in the arcade room howled in agony as a bright light invaded their dark space. Mordecai and Rigby walked into the next room, which obviously was a child's play area. The place was something that you would see at the Fun-Fun Zone, only safer, and much to the duo's relief, no mechanical band of electronic singing robots.

The room was painted to match a scenario from outer space; glow-in-the-dark stickers of planets, rockets, and even friendly-looking aliens were pasted onto the walls and ceiling. In the middle of the room was a massive, multi-colored ball pit with shrieking toddlers diving deep below the surface of the pit. Apparently the ball pit was the highlight of the room, as there were more children in there than outside of the pit.

Blithe clumsily clapped her tiny hands together in pleasure as Mordecai carried her towards the ball pit and gently dumped her in, letting her explore and gambol with the other children. He smiled in satisfaction, watching his little girl play and dive around. Rigby waited patiently for a few seconds before he cracked. "Okay dude, come on, let's go play some games!" "No dude, I have to stay here and watch Blithe. I don't want her to crawl away or anything."

"Whatever, lame-o." Rigby spat before storming back into the arcade room. Mordecai smiled as he watched Blithe crawl over to a little blue-eyed badger boy who appeared to be a little over twelve months old and sit down next to him. Blithe tilted her head slightly and gave a small, shy smile, waiting for a response. The badger tilted his head seconds later as he looked at her. Finally he smiled back and cooed at her. Blithe's face lit up in ecstasy. She grabbed a handful of parti-colored balls from the pit and held it out to the badger boy, who slowly took one and began to gnaw on it. Blithe repeated this action and there was instantly a connection.

"Aww, it seems our little ones have made friends with each other," A woman's soft voice cooed. Mordecai looked over to see an older, female badger with long black hair standing beside him, smiling. "My name is Theresa, and that boy over there is my son Cooper." She pointed to the little badger playing beside Blithe. Mordecai stuck out his hand, "I'm Mordecai, and that's my…m-my daughter Blithe." His tongue went numb briefly, but returned to normal within seconds.

Theresa cocked her head slightly, "I don't believe I've seen you or your daughter here before."

"Oh, well…w-we just moved here." The blue jay lied with a straight face.

The female badger nodded in understanding, "Ah, I see. So, where's her mommy, if I may ask?"

"Oh…uh…well, she uh…she's no longer with us, if you get my drift," He lied yet again. Theresa's face dropped in sympathy, "Oh my, I'm so sorry…"

"No, it's fine. She's doing really well for a girl without a mom." He smiled, trying to feign despondency in order to conceal his lies. Theresa patted Mordecai's back reassuringly, "Don't worry, you're doing great yourself." At that moment Mordecai felt genuinely proud of himself. At least he knew that he was doing it right so far. Suddenly a piercing wail interrupted the conversation and every parent in the room craned their heads to find the infant responsible for its loud cries. When Mordecai turned around he noticed that it was Theresa's son crying while Blithe scooted away from him in surprise. Theresa stared at her son for a moment before dipping her hand into her purse, revealing a bottle full of pre-heated baby formula. Once Blithe locked eyes with the bottle she began to wail in infantine hunger as well.

Mordecai panicked. "Aw man, I forgot to bring formula!" He mentally slapped himself for his forgetfulness. Theresa bent down and gently lifted her son out of the ball pit, pushing the nipple of the baby bottle into his mouth. Immediately Cooper's intense wailing ceased and he pulled at the nipple in vain, quickly being rewarded with a mouthful of the milk inside. When her son finally quieted, Theresa pulled another bottle of formula out of her purse and handed it to Mordecai. "Here, go ahead and use it. Don't worry; I always sterilize the bottles, and I promise that Cooper hasn't touched this one yet." She said with an indulgent wink.

Mordecai thanked her and lifted his wailing daughter out of the ball pit, aiming the bottle towards her beak. Blithe's mouth muscles reacted automatically and her lips were locked on the nipple. She greedily began to pull at the nipple and seconds later, her tummy was filling steadily with massive gulps of formula. Mordecai felt the exact same sensations from the other night when he first fed her. He didn't want to let go of her again. She was his little princess, and he would always protect her no matter what. Even though he tried to block the thoughts from his consciousness they managed to slip into his soul and make him feel even more emotional than before. Mordecai stared down at his nursing daughter and smiled when he saw her eyes begin to droop and her feeding cycle slow. Blithe was halfway done with the bottle when she grew incredibly tired and stopped all at once, drifting off into the dreamless slumber of early youth.

When he knew that she was in full sleeping mode, Mordecai gently slipped the bottle out of her mouth and was greeted by a large hiccup that emerged from Blithe's mouth. He was afraid that the hiccup would wake her, but still she remained fast asleep. Setting the bottle down, Mordecai remembered what his mother would do in this sort of situation. His mother used to babysit all the time, and every time she fed a baby and it fell asleep after a feeding it would hiccup or whimper in its sleep. Then he would watch as she lifted the infant over her shoulder and would gently pat its back until it would release a burp.

While keeping those memories intact, Mordecai gently placed Blithe over his shoulder and began to pat her back. Seconds later an explosive belch erupted from Blithe and she involuntarily sighed in relief before relaxing. Mordecai was surprised at how loud her belch was; he had no idea that a sweet, polite little baby like her could unleash such a monstrous burp. He laughed and thanked Theresa for loaning him a bottle, but she shook her head in response and said that it was "not a problem at all".

"All I ask in return is that our little ones have a playdate together soon. Is that alright with you?" Theresa inquired. Mordecai shrugged and looked at the still sleeping Blithe, "What do you think?" Blithe merely smiled in her sleep, unaware of the conversation. Mordecai nodded, "She says yes." Theresa laughed, "Alright then. Where should we meet?" "How about Maellard Park? That's where I work, and…live." "That's perfect! There's a playground there, isn't there?" "Yep." "Wonderful. Saturday at 10am?" "Sounds cool to me."

After the arrangement was made, Theresa left, leaving Mordecai with Blithe. Seconds after she had left the door to the arcade burst open, revealing Rigby. "Dude! That was awesome! You should have seen it: I beat that Brody kid at that game in nothin' flat! The score was twenty-three to ninety-four, and guess who had the ninety-four? That's right, me!" The raccoon cheered. Mordecai grinned, "That's great dude. But guess what? Blithe made a new friend and now she has a playdate with him this Saturday."

Rigby rolled his eyes, "Wooooww, that's awesome. I'm soooo proud."

"Not cool, Rigby."

"And oh yeah, Margaret called. She wanted to know if we could pick her up from work or something like that."

Mordecai immediately shot up, careful not to disturb Blithe. "Let's go!" He zoomed past the raccoon and out of the arcade until he made it to the cart. Rigby quickly followed suite and the duo was on the road in minutes.

Margaret's shift was just ending when she heard the bell attached to the door of the Coffee Shop jingle, signaling that some new customers had arrived. She sighed and turned around to serve them, only to be pleasantly surprised by Mordecai, Rigby, and Blithe.

"Oh, hey you guys! Thanks for picking me up. I took the bus today because my car isn't really working." The robin explained, her eyes fixated completely on Mordecai. She noticed the sleeping Blithe in his arms and 'aww'ed, "She certainly had a big day, didn't she?"

"Yep. She made a new friend today at the arcade's kid area and now we've got a playdate scheduled for this Saturday at ten." Mordecai grinned. Margaret smiled, "That's great. So have you decided what we're all gonna do this Friday?" "Actually yeah, I was thinking that we should go to Pasta Pete's. I heard that they're kid friendly and their food is pretty accurate." Mordecai suggested. Rigby's mouth watered in anticipation, "TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

"Sorry bro, it's a me, Margaret, and Blithe only thing, okay? We'll go to Pasta Pete's another time, I promise." Mordecai said flatly. Margaret smiled kindly, "Aww, Rigby can come too if he wants. I don't mind."

Rigby grinned smugly at Mordecai while the blue jay shot him a threatening glare.

The ride to the Park wasn't too long, or too short, and they arrived without further incident. Rigby ran into the kitchen to fix himself a meatball sub-sandwich while Mordecai and Margaret went upstairs and into the bathroom for Blithe's bath. Blithe was stripped of her clothing and set down into the filling tub.

Mordecai was at a loss of what to do during the bath. All he knew what to do was to turn on the water to the tub, make sure it wasn't too hot or too cold, add soap, and that was all. He didn't have any other knowledge on bathing a baby that was for darn sure. Margaret, however, did. Once again, she had past experience with her younger cousins, and for those reasons she knew exactly what to do.

When the bathwater was at Blithe's waist, Margaret took a bottle of body wash and poured a dollop of it into the water, quickly creating mountains of froth and suds. Blithe was delighted; when the bubbles were big enough she started to mold the mounds of bubbles into several different formless shapes. Mordecai watched intently as Margaret squeezed a small amount of shampoo into her palm. She then massaged the shampoo into Blithe's scalp and feathers, scrubbing every crevasse until the girl was covered in plumes of foam. Then, Margaret took the handheld shower nozzle and turned the water on, giving Blithe a quick douse until all of the soap was rinsed off. Blithe pouted as she was lifted out of the tub and buffed dry with a towel. She looked up at Margaret with her wobbling bottom lip jutting out and whined in disappointment.

Margaret rolled her eyes knowingly and gazed into Mordecai's worried eyes. "Don't worry; it's just the pouting phase. All babies do it after their baths, unless they really hate them." Mordecai nodded in understandingly and watched as Margaret quickly re-diapered Blithe in a fresh diaper.

Suddenly Mordecai chose that moment to speak. "You know, Blithe really looks up to you like…like a mom."

Margaret froze and that's when Mordecai realized his mistake.

After a few moments of bitter silence, Margaret finally responded. She turned around and faced him with a wide smile, "I was waiting for you to say something like that. I think of Blithe like my own, too." The robin handed the pouting baby girl to the blue jay and sighed, "I was actually hoping that you'd ask me to be like her mother or…you know…something like that."

Mordecai's beak twitched into a smile. "If you're okay with it, I am."

"But wouldn't it be wrong? I'm not her mom, and we're not even dating yet." Margaret asked anxiously. Mordecai's smile melted. Yet. Sighing, the blue jay momentarily bowed his head. He looked into Margaret's eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his throat before he began, "Margaret, when I first saw you I fell in love with you. My dream is to be with you forever, and I think you already know that, but I know you wouldn't wanna rush into stuff. But right now I…I need you more than ever. With Blithe and all…I know that I'm doing good as a dad so far, but I'm gonna need some help. And it's not just Blithe. Margaret, I love you, and I want to have a real relationship with you."

Mordecai paused, watching as Margaret desperately held back tears. "Margaret…will you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

**To be continued...**


	5. Love and an Approaching Enemy

"Yes."

Yes…? She said…

SHE SAID YES!

Margaret smiled as warm tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I'll be your girlfriend, Mordecai. And I'll be Blithe's mommy, too."

Mordecai's heart exploded and he couldn't help but choke up himself. He'd done it. He'd finally done it. Their lips connected seconds later in a passionate kiss full of love and sentiment. He had never felt happier in his entire life.

When their lips parted, Mordecai was the first to speak. "I love you so much, Margaret Smith," He uttered in breathless anticipation. Margaret licked her lips and went in for another kiss, "I love you too, Mordecai Quintel."

Blithe had been watching the whole thing and giggled in celebration. Something told her that she finally had a family! A real family. This made the little bird smile, even though she didn't understand what was going on. But she didn't mind. She had a mommy and a daddy that actually loved her now! Nothing else mattered then.

* * *

Once Blithe was put to bed, the two love birds were eager to spread the news to everyone. Firstly, they both needed to phone up their parents. At first Mordecai was nervous at what Frank would think of him dating his "hugbug", but Margaret assured him that things would be fine.

After a few seconds of waiting, someone answered the phone. "Hello?" Denise, Margaret's mother, asked. "Mom, it's me, Margaret. Put daddy on the phone! I've got great news." The robin spoke into the receiver. A few muffled noises were heard before Frank's baritone male voice came through, "Margie? Is that you honey?"

"Yes daddy, it's me. Mordecai and I want to tell you guys something." Margaret practically grinned, stifling back a squeal. A short pause was heard before Frank responded, "Yeah? What is it?"

"We're dating now," Mordecai said into the phone, his hand curling into Margaret's. Silence. Seconds later a loud 'thud' was heard and Denise picked up the phone, laughing, "Your father just fainted. What was the news, sweetie?"

"Mordecai and I are dating now, mom." Margaret repeated. Denise said nothing for a few moments before low chuckling was heard. "Awww, congratulations! And don't worry about your father. He'll wake up in a little while. Love you, honey!" A click was heard and the call ended.

"See? That went really well." Margaret said, pecking her new boyfriend's cheek. "But your dad fainted." Mordecai replied solemnly. The robin laughed. "Sometimes he overreacts to stuff. Don't worry about it. Are you ready to call your parents?"

The blue jay nodded, "Yep."

About a minute later someone else answered the phone, "Hey Mordo! What's up son?" Mordecai's father, Marvin, hollered in his usual cheery fashion.

"Hey dad, can you get mom on the phone? I've got some news." Mordecai replied.

"Sure son." Within minutes, Cynthia, Mordecai's mother, stepped in on the conversation. "Hi son!" Her voice chirped. "So there's something you needed to tell us?"

"Yeah, you guys know Margaret, right?" Mordecai inquired. "Yep." His parents answered simultaneously. "We're dating now!" Margaret interjected with a happy squeal.

Cynthia screaming was all that was heard for a good ten seconds before she calmed down. "Oh my gosh! I'm so happy for you! My baby boy is growing up!" The female blue jay shrieked. "Congrats son. You've finally hooked in a good girl. I'm proud." Marvin's voice said.

"Thanks you guys." Mordecai blushed, and then remembered something important. "Also, you're both grandparents now."

Cynthia screamed again. "Ah! She's pregnant?"

Mordecai laughed nervously, "Oh…it's a long story."

It took quite a while to explain, as Cynthia kept asking questions, but eventually Mordecai was able to tell them the whole story, how he found Blithe, what he had been doing to take care of her, everything. Once Cynthia was satisfied with the answers Mordecai suggested that they could fly down from their home in Montana to visit and meet Blithe, which his parents immediately agreed to.

When the phonecall ended, Mordecai breathed a sigh of relief. Margaret pulled him into a hug, "I'm proud of you, Mordecai. That must have been awkward, honestly." "Nah, it wasn't too bad. Thanks to you I managed to get through it." The blue jay ran his hands through her crimson feathers gently. The robin giggled, "So cheesy." She teased.

After a few minutes of tender cuddling, Mordecai spoke up. "We should probably tell the others about us. I think they'd be confused if they saw us kissing each other out of nowhere." Margaret nodded in agreement. When the plan was made, Mordecai left the room and went to see Benson. But before he did, he stopped by his room and walked over to the side of his bed, where a tiny wooden cradle sat with Blithe inside. On the headboard of the cradle three stars had been carved into the wood and a mobile with blue, star-spangled rattles hung over the cradle. Skips had dug it out of his special belongings and gave it to Mordecai after learning about Blithe, saying that it used to be his daughter's when she was young. Mordecai noticed a hint of sadness in the yeti's eyes, but said nothing.

The blue jay walked toward the side of the cradle and knelt down next to it. He stroked his sleeping daughter's head, listening to the tiny breathes she took. She looked so peaceful. Mordecai gently planted a kiss on her forehead and whispered breathlessly, "Sweet dreams, B."

* * *

Benson was working, filling out papers and checks in his office when he heard the door to his office slowly creak open, and in came that familiar blue jay. The gumball machine sighed in dreary anticipation and quietly muttered, "What do you want now, Mordecai."

"I uh…I wanted to know if we could round everyone up downstairs. Margaret and I have some news we want to share." Mordecai was hesitant at first, but became more confident with each word he said. Benson looked up. "What kind of news?" "Come on Benson, please?" He pleaded. Benson sighed again. "Fine, but it better be worth it."

* * *

Before long, everyone was rounded up in the living room downstairs. As Benson had said, everyone was clearly exhausted from all the pre-winter work and cranky. Mordecai and Margaret stood next to each other in the middle of the living room with smiles on their faces.

"Everyone, Mordecai has a special announcement to make. Again." Benson rolled his eyes.

"Another one?" Muscle Man groaned. Mordecai shot him a glare. The glare melted away when he felt warm flesh touch the skin of his hand. He looked over to see Margaret smiling at him. Taking in another deep breath, he faced the others and pulled Margaret closer to him. "We're dating, for real now."

More silence. Everyone stood/sat in shock, slack-jawed in surprise. Finally Pops was the first to pipe up. "Jolly good show! Congratulations, my good man!" Mordecai and Margaret were then rewarded with several applauds and felicitations. Rigby sat completely still on the couch, frozen in place.

"You okay, dude?" Mordecai walked over to his friend and sat down next to him, nudging him to snap him out of his spacey state. The raccoon blinked, "Yeah…that's great dude. Congrats." Without another word Rigby stood up and sulked up the stairs. Everything went quiet again.

A few hours later the sky was consumed in darkness and mostly everyone had gone to bed or gone home. Mordecai and Margaret decided to stay up late in celebration of their new relationship and watch a movie together, popcorn and other snacks galore. They had chosen the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", one of their favorite 80s movies of all time. Halfway through the movie Mordecai looked down after feeling a pressure on his chest. Margaret laid her head onto his chest and snuggled into it. Waves of pleasure crashed into him as her red feathers tickled his neck and chin.

By the time the movie was over, both birds had fallen asleep, arms and legs lovingly tangled together. This was only the beginning of their new relationship together.

Outside the window, however, a thin shadow clutched the windowsill in anger. "You will regret your decision, Margaret Smith. As for you, Mordecai, you'll have wished you never met her when I'm finished with you." It uttered, before disappearing into the dark night.

* * *

**I think that I made Benson a little too mean in this chapter. And it seems a little rushed. Tell me what you thought. :D**


	6. Auntie Eileen

**Another update, I know! I'm trying my best to update this daily, and I hope this pleases you. In this chapter we'll see more of the mysterious figure from the previous chapter. He/she's identity won't be revealed yet, but don't worry, the time will come ;D**

* * *

The next morning, Mordecai woke up to find somebody snuggled close to him. The blue jay smiled, staring lovingly at his new girlfriend's face. "You look like an angel when you're sleeping," he whispered her ear. Margaret was sound asleep on his chest. As Mordecai shifted in his spot on the couch, she woke up, and once she realized what position she was in, glanced guiltily up at him.

"Morning," he murmured, kissing her forehead. Margaret felt her cheeks go up in flames.

"Morning." She groggily replied, trying to sit up, but before she could escape, Mordecai's arm tightened around her. Her blush only increased. "And where do you think you're going?" Mordecai playfully teased, stroking her waist. The robin giggled, "Stop it," She pushed his arm away and placed a wing on her stomach. "I'm kind of hungry. Are you?"

"Now that you mention it, I am. Let's go. How about we have some waffles?" The blue jay suggested, finally sitting up and releasing Margaret from his grip. Margaret nodded in agreement, "I would like that." Suddenly a loud cry was heard from upstairs. Mordecai smirked, "Sounds like Blithe's awake." The two love birds headed upstairs to his room and found Blithe lying in her crib, wailing to beat the band.

"Morning princess," Mordecai whispered, smiling down at his daughter. Blithe opened her eyes and noticed her daddy towering over her with mommy by his side. Her wails ceased and a smile grew on her beak. She extended her wings towards them both and babbled nonsensically, as if wanting to be held. Mordecai gently lifted her up out of the cradle and kissed her forehead softly, saying, "Hey B. Want some breakfast?"

Blithe squeaked in apparent agreement, waving her arms around excitedly. Mordecai laughed, "I'll take that as a yes." He glanced at Margaret and noticed that she was trying to hold back a giggle. "What's so funny?" "The way you interact with her is adorable." The robin grinned.

Mordecai's eyes averted towards the other side of the room where Rigby's bed was, expecting to find the raccoon fast asleep. Surprisingly, there was no sign of Rigby anywhere. The bed didn't even look like it had been touched at all. The blue jay couldn't help but feel worried about where Rigby had went off to, he hoped that maybe he was already downstairs or he had gone somewhere. Still, he had a gut feeling that told him something wasn't right.

Margaret noticed his distressed expression and put her hand on his cheek. "Mordecai, what's wrong?" "Nothing, it's just that I don't see Rigby anywhere. He's usually still in bed at this time of day." The robin glanced over to the raccoon's trampoline bed and saw too that it was empty. "That's weird….I'm sure he's okay. Don't worry, we'll find him. How about you go take a shower while I'll feed Blithe and make us some waffles? It would make you feel better."

"You're right, maybe I'm just paranoid. You know Rigby; he'll be fine wherever he is." Mordecai handed Blithe over to Margaret and left the room, taking a right towards the bathroom. He cautiously stepped into the tub and turned on the water. Water came rushing down from the showerhead and submerged him, absorbing Mordecai into his thoughts. He stood there for a good fifteen minutes, allowing the lukewarm water to reconcile the kinks in his achy joints. All of his stress melted away and was sucked down the drain. Mordecai quickly soaped his body with body wash and rinsed before he decided to get out and dry off.

Fifteen minutes later, the blue jay had combed his feathers and brushed his teeth, then finally went downstairs to meet Margaret, Blithe, and what he hoped to be Rigby. Unfortunately, when he came down the stairs, there was no sign of Rigby anywhere. This made him wonder where the raccoon had gone off to last night when his new relationship with Margaret was revealed to the others. He had gone upstairs, but just where exactly?

"Hey Mordecai! Feel better? I made waffles, but they're probably cold by now. Sorry about that." Margaret greeted him as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. Mordecai smiled and nodded in thanks and took a seat at the kitchen table next to Blithe's highchair. The baby girl was sitting in her highchair, a bowl of an unknown substance on the tray in front of her. The unknown substance was all over the tray and all over Blithe's face. Runnels of grayish-brown gunk dribbled down her chin, but the little fowl didn't seem to mind very much. She squealed happily, practically rubbing the stuff on herself.

"Yeah, I feel a little better." Mordecai replied, ladling a forkful of waffles into his mouth. They were relatively cold, but not too bad. He sipped at the glass of orange juice next to his plate to wash down the waffles and smiled at Blithe when she looked directly at him. "Hey baby girl, you look like you're getting more food on yourself than in your belly." The blue jay playfully chided. Blithe said nothing and continued to cover herself in food.

Margaret finally sat down and used a warm, wet dishcloth to wipe Blithe's face, chin, and hands clean, then she carried the half empty bowl of baby food to the sink to scrape out the remnants of it. While she was cleaning, Margaret began to speak. "Hey Mordecai, is it okay if Eileen comes over today to babysit? Yesterday I told her about Blithe and she really wanted to meet her. Plus I have work today and I know you probably do too. So is it cool?"

"Sure, I don't mind. Hey B, you cool with it?" Mordecai asked, looking over at his daughter again. Blithe nodded, not quite sure what her daddy was telling her. "She's cool with it." He said, earning a laugh from Margaret. The robin grabbed her purse and apron which was hanging over a chair nearby and kissed Mordecai's free lips before she made a motion towards the door. "Cool, I'll tell her when I get there. Love you." "Love you too, Mags."

* * *

As planned, Eileen was over in nearly a flash. Well, actually she arrived within minutes after Margaret had left, but time wasn't the essence at the moment. Mordecai answered the door and was greeted by an excited Eileen.

The tiny mole, who was about Rigby's height, peered up at Mordecai and said with a wide grin, "Hi Mordecai! Is it okay if I come in?" "Sure Eileen, come on in." Eileen walked inside, hanging her jacket on a nearby coatrack. She looked around the room curiously and asked, "So…where is the little cutie? Margaret told me a lot about her."

"She's in the kitchen, if you want to go see her." Mordecai said.

"Great!" Immediately Eileen raced into the kitchen, followed by Mordecai. Once she saw the highchair with Blithe inside, Eileen held back a squeal. "Aww! She's adorable!" The mole moved a bit slower, not wanting to frighten Blithe. "Hi cutie, I'm Auntie Eileen. Can you say my name?"

Blithe said nothing for a few seconds before letting out a high-pitched squeak, followed by more babbling. Eileen giggled, "Aw, Mordecai, she's so cute. Where did you find her?"

"Well, basically someone left her at the doorstep without a note or anything. They just abandoned her." Mordecai suddenly went quiet. Eileen's face fell. "Those cruel, heartless people. They have no idea how valuable a child really is." Shaking her head, the mole sighed and looked around. "Anyway, have you seen Rigby lately? I haven't seen him anywhere recently."

"No, he kind of just…disappeared last night. Margaret and I spilled the beans to everyone about our relationship and he ran upstairs. He was pretty upset, though I can't imagine why." The blue jay sighed. "Rigby does this stuff all the time when he's upset. He'll come back later when he gets hungry or feels better."

"Oh, okay. I hope he's okay." Eileen said.

"Yeah…anyway, I've got to get to work. It's almost eight. Thanks for babysitting, Eileen, it means alot, seriously." Mordecai grabbed his jacket from the coatrack and went to kiss Blithe on her forehead. "See you later princess." Blithe began to whimper unabatedly as she watched her daddy leave her with this strange lady. Where was daddy going? Without her?

Eileen 'awww'ed and went over to the puling infant and lifted her out of the highchair, cuddling her close. "It's okay sweetie. Auntie Ellie will take care of you. Daddy will be back soon, I promise." She assured.

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While he was working, Mordecai never noticed the dark-garbed figure in the unobtrusive grey van parked near the Park entrance. The undistinguished person sat in the driver's seat of their car, pretending to read the local newspaper. If a casual passerby had been especially observant, they might have noticed that the newspaper the person held had a small tear that had left a hole at the fold of the paper as if the person in the car had been careless when they opened it in the confined area of the driver's seat. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

The figure's sharp eyes followed every movement of the blue jay through the hole in the paper as he covered up different areas of plantlife to keep them safe during the upcoming winter weather. The exceedingly ordinary driver of the van folded its newspaper and slowly drove away. "I've been watching you for a long time, Mordecai. A very, very long time. You and Margaret won't last long after I'm done with you, I guarantee that." The figure grinned to itself.


	7. Eating Out and a Threat

**Well, here's another update! And be warned, this is a dramatic chapter! And that mysterious person in the van after Mordo and Maggie returns! Still no evidence on who he/she is, but don't worry, the time will come very soon. ;D**

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**Friday**

Pasta Pete's was a buzzing cauldron of activity. Exasperated families with squalling, hungry, impatient children sat at every table while waiters in tacky white shirts, red bow-ties and black suspenders rushed about with large trays of food. It was a cheap family restaurant alright, complete with red and white checked plastic table-cloths and pictures of stereotypical Italian street scenes on the walls.

Mordecai and Margaret held hands as they walked into the restaurant, with Blithe cradled in her mommy's arms. Mordecai figured that if Margaret wanted to play the role of Blithe's new mother, she would have to get used to hauling her new daughter around all the time. At first Margaret was hesitant and a bit on the edge, but she quickly adjusted.

After ten minutes of excruciating waiting in the crowded entry area, a man in a ridiculous waiter outfit topped off with a straw boater hat appeared with a set of menus. He looked over the assembled family and sighed loudly, "Welcome to Pasta Pete's, follow me please." He directed. Mordecai and Margaret both nodded, trailing after the waiter. He led them to a small booth which already had a highchair mounted into it near the end of the table.

The waiter handed each of them a menu (including a children's menu for Blithe) and told them, "Have a nice meal. I'll be back to take your orders momentarily." Before leaving.

"Thanks for taking us here, Mordecai. My dad used to take me here all the time when I was little. It brings back so many memories." Margaret said, staring affectionately into her lover's eyes. Blithe cooed loudly in appreciation; this huge new place was amazing in her eyes! There were lots of bright lights and sounds; it was a whole new world to her.

Mordecai shrugged and smiled at the robin dismissively, "I don't mind. As long as I get to spend some time with you and Blithe, it's not a problem for me." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek just as the waiter came back.

"Are you ready to order?" He asked, clutching his paper and pen.

"Yeah, I think I'll just have the chicken lasagna with the Cesar salad," Mordecai said, looking up from his menu. Margaret nodded, "And I think I'll have the small spaghetti and meatballs with a salad, too." "And what about the little lady here?" The waiter gestured towards Blithe.

"Hm…just a small, plain child's spaghetti would do. No sauce, no nothin'." Mordecai replied. The waiter rolled his eyes and left to place the food's orders.

Not too long after the waiter had left, Mordecai felt his phone buzz inside his shirt pocket. He looked to see who was messaging him and noticed that an anonymous person had sent him a text.

"_I know who you are, and I know that you've known me for a long time. Don't think I'll let you slip this time. You're gonna pay._"

The blue jay felt his stomach churn. Who had sent him this text? He tried to access the location of the messenger, but it exposed no further information. With slight apprehension he typed in a new message in reply to the stranger.

"_Who are you?_"

Seconds later a reply was sent. "…"

Mordecai typed back, "_Answer me!_"

About two minutes went by before the stranger replied again.

"_you'll know when you see me._"

Mordecai let out an audible growl, catching Margaret's attention. "Is something wrong, Mordecai?" She asked, noticing the uneasy expression on his face. Mordecai shook his head, "No, don't worry about it, I'm fine."

Margaret opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it and looked away.

Buzz, buzz. Another message.

"_I would wanna keep an eye on your girlfriend if I were you. She could go missing and you wouldn't even notice it…_"

Mordecai quickly typed back, "_better stop with the blackmailing, whoever you are, it's not funny._"

Not too long after the stranger replied. "_sucks to be you. Also, a little advice: I wouldn't leave Blithe to herself for long. Someone could…nab her. :)_"

Mordecai's heart sank. Not only did this person know about Margaret, he knew about Blithe too. Whimpering, the blue jay typed back, "_I will hunt you down and strangle you if you say one more thing about my daughter. You've screwed around with the wrong guy!_"

The stranger quickly replied. "_hunt me down? That won't be necessary. I already live with you, afterall._"

Mordecai's eyes widened. What did this mean? He typed back, "_tell me who you are NOW!_"

There was no further reply. Before Mordecai could react the waiter returned with their food. "Enjoy your meal." He said with an overly-obvious hint of sarcasm, before scurrying off to deal with more hungry patriots.

Mordecai shakily ate his meal; although he felt nauseas he didn't want to worry Margaret, so he bit the bullet and tried to play it cool. While the couple ate their meal, Blithe found her food to be more of a toy than food. The little bird giggled, burying lumps of spaghetti noodles into her hair and feathers. Occasionally she would nibble on a few strands of noodles, and then throw them across the table or around the room, squealing happily as she made a complete mess of herself.

"Oh Blithe, look at you, you messy little girl!" Margaret giggled, picking the noodles out of her little girl's hair. Blithe grinned toothlessly in appreciation and clumsily clapped her hands together, wagging her feet around with complete bliss. "You're so silly. But you need to know the difference between food and toys, sweetie." The robin teased as she removed the final strand of spaghetti from the little bird's hair.

About twenty minutes later, Mordecai and Margaret both finished their meals, paid for them, and left the restaurant. The food digesting in Blithe's stomach made her tired and fall asleep on the spot. Margaret thought that she was adorable.

When they arrived back at the park, Mordecai couldn't help but think about the chilling text messages from earlier. He feared for Margaret and Blithe's safety, but what worried him more was the fact that the stranger said that he actually lived inside the Park house. If this stranger got the chance, he could nab either one of them in no time without him knowing. The thought of seeing his daughter and girlfriend missing made Mordecai shudder constantly.

This got him thinking: what if Mordecai moved Margaret and Blithe into their own little temporary home until they were able to afford an actual one? They would be safer and their relationship would blossom even more. Afterall, he had heard of people doing the same before. He would have to talk Margaret into it quickly before the villain decided to strike.

Hours had passed and there was still no sign of Rigby anywhere. Mordecai started to get worried. His friend had been missing for more than twenty-four hours and had still not shown any signs of returning. What could have happened to him? The blue jay decided to head up to the police station to report his missing friend. Margaret volunteered to stay home and watch Blithe, but Mordecai refused; after reading the stranger's text messages he knew that was probably a really, really bad idea. He managed to talk her into coming with and soon enough they were all on the road.

When they got to the police station, Mordecai asked Margaret to sit in the car with Blithe while he went in. Margaret agreed, noticing how late it was getting outside. The temperature had cooled considerably, forcing her to slip on her jacket. As she looked in the passenger seat mirror while fixing her makeup Margaret couldn't help but notice a gray van pull up behind her. She had a growing sense of fear in her gut and it wouldn't stop. She contemplated getting out of the car and make a run for it, but then she remembered Blithe and Mordecai's instructions. Scared and at a loss of what to do next, she did the only thing she could do at the moment: call Mordecai.

The phone rang for a moment before he picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Mordecai…there's this huge van parked behind me and no one's getting out of the van. The windows have been darkened so I can't see who it is in there, and it's really freaking me out. Can you please hurry up in there?" Margaret said in a worried tone.

She heard him sigh on the other end. "Margaret, it's okay. Nothing's gonna happen to you. Maybe the guy had to make a call or something. I'll be there in a few minutes, I promise. I love you."

"I-I love you too, bye…" The robin whimpered as she ended the call. At that moment she heard the sound of glass breaking behind her followed by a massive bang and clicking sound. Automatically she whirled her head around and screamed; the glass in the back of the car had broken! Looking further ahead she noticed a gun peeking out of the driver's window of the van.

Margaret then remembered something; Blithe was sitting in the back seat! Immediately Margaret grabbed the now wailing Blithe (who was luckily unharmed by the explosion) and launched herself into the driver's seat, twisting the keys which fired up the engine. Stepping firmly on the accelerator with all her might, Margaret sped off towards the front of the building. Mordecai was just stepping out of the station when he noticed Margaret speeding towards him at an alarming rate, while a van in the background unremittingly fired rounds of bullets directly towards the car.

Margaret rolled down the window and screamed for him to get into the car. The blue jay was shocked. Confused and afraid for their safety, he hopped into the passenger seat just as Margaret quickly drove away from the scene. She headed towards the park and looked in the rearview mirror again, only to see the van riding on their tale at an increasing speed, the driver still firing rounds from its gun.

"They're after us, they're after us!" Margaret shrieked. Quickly handing Blithe to Mordecai, she swerved around, heading towards the van which screeched to a halt in the middle of the lane. Luckily there was barely any traffic that evening. Margaret sped down the road and made a detour down another road. "That's it; we are staying in a hotel tonight! I don't know who that guy/girl is, but whatever he/she wants is gonna kill us for it!" She exclaimed in exasperation.

Mordecai remained utterly silent, unable to find his tongue. The person who had been texting him earlier was after them now. Going back to the Park was not an option; he even highly considered quitting at this point. There was no way he was going to go back there and face whoever the potential criminal was. He needed to protect his girls, and the only way to do that was to move and find another job.

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**Liked it? Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! And also, there will be more romantic scenes with Mordecai and Margaret soon! ;)**


	8. Old Boyfriend and a Haunting Past

**WARNING: Violence and minor swearing ahead, as well as ideologically sensitive material.**

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A little over three months have passed since the death threat against Margaret and Blithe was made. It took little persuasion for Mordecai to convince his girlfriend to move in with him away from the Park, forcing him to quit his job. However, Mordecai succeeded in getting several job offers in a local town called Greensburg not too far away from his parents' house in Montana. Margaret was slightly upset that they were going to be so far from her family, but she knew that if she wanted to keep her relationship strong and sensible, she would have to agree.

After a week of staying in a hotel and searching for a house, they finally found their dream home. It wasn't flawless, but it was just right for them. The conditioning of the house was stable and clean, no signs of roaches or mice or any kind of fungi, it was the perfect family home. It was a two story white shiplapped-maple boarded structure with matching white trim on the woodwork, complete with two bathrooms (one upstairs and the other down below), a basement, and an attic.

The house rested comfortably in a friendly residential neighborhood abuzz with thriving children outside on their bikes and couples/families walking together hand-in-hand. Mordecai knew that this was the perfect location for Blithe to grow up in. She would be able to make lots of friends and socialize once she reached the proper age. Who knows, she might even hook and reel herself in a boyfriend. The blue jay laughed at the thought, but he couldn't help but frown upon it at the same time.

The last of the thirty-seven boxes were finally hauled into the large, empty new house and dropped to the hard wooden floor. The two love birds and their baby girl admired each nook and cranny; this was their new house after all. They both carried Blithe upstairs to let her choose her new bedroom. As excited as she was, Blithe was so tired she fell asleep in her mother's arms before she could choose.

While Margaret went downstairs to unpack, Mordecai was upstairs in Blithe's apparent new nursery, assembling her brand new crib. Blithe sat idly by, sucking her thumb while she watched in wide wonder as her father struggled to read the crib's instructions. She laughed at every little mistake he made; it was exceptionally amusing to her. From time to time the blue jay would glance over at his little girl and smile at her. Each time he thought about giving up on the crib he would think of her, which seemed to be the only thing keeping him going.

Finally, after half an hour, he managed to set up the crib without further incident. Now all he had to do was set up the changing table and haul in her new dresser. With an audible groan, the blue jay got back to work.

Thirty minutes later everything was complete. All of Blithe's new clothes had been sorted out and put away and the changing table was stocked up with diapers and changing supplies. Just as he was about to go downstairs Mordecai's sense of smell detected a foul aroma coming from Blithe, who appeared to be uncomfortable. With another sigh he placed her on the changing table and cleaned her up before rediapering her and taking her downstairs.

When he came downstairs Mordecai smiled at the sight. Margaret had set up the living room, which for now only had one sofa and a small table to set drinks on. Now Margaret was in the kitchen, cleaning out the kitchen with her cleaning supplies. She had already swabbed the floors with a bleach-drenched mop and cleaned off the counters (as well as scrubbing the mildew out of the sink) until they shined. Mordecai laughed; Margaret was always self-conscious about sparkling surfaces.

"Hey beautiful," The blue jay commented as he walked into the kitchen, Blithe on his hip. He pecked his girlfriend on the lips gently, "You did a really good job here. By the way, I finally got Blithe's nursery set up." "Great," The robin replied with a smile. "And thanks, I did my best." A light blush formed on her cheeks.

Mordecai looked over the counter and noticed that the new dinner table had also been set up. Nodding in approval, he looked back towards her, "You wanna order something for dinner? It's our first day here and I don't want to force you into cooking for us." "Sure. How about Chinese?" "Sounds great."

Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang. Margaret went to answer it while Mordecai stayed in the kitchen with Blithe. A couple "Hello"s were heard followed by a man's voice saying, "It's so great to see you again, Margie! Where've ya been all this time?"

Suspicious, the blue jay left Blithe in her highchair and went to investigate. He peeked around the foyer and saw Margaret standing in the doorway hugging a male falcon wearing an outfit suited for an employee at the local Chinese restaurant. The robin parted from the falcon's embrace and stared at him, "I haven't seen you in forever, Carlos! When was the last time we saw each other?"

Carlos smirked, "I think it was the last day of high school…the very last time we kissed. Wanna continue from where we left off?" Suddenly the muscular falcon's large hands grappled Margaret's hips and stroked them roughly. Margaret squeaked in surprise and tried to squirm away, but he was too powerful for her.

"No Carlos, I can't, I'm seeing someone else now! We can't date anymore." The robin stated firmly, still trying to escape his grasp.

Carlos glared at her, "You've been screwing around with someone else?! You said you'd come back! But did you?! NO! I waited for four years, and now you turn around only to betray me?! Two-timing skank!" With a mighty swing the falcon delivered a powerful slap to Margaret's cheek, sending her flying backwards.

Mordecai immediately stepped forward, glaring daggers filled with venom at the muscular bird. "HEY YOU! Don't you dare hit my girlfriend like that! Or I'll clobber you into next f*cking week!" The blue jay punched Carlos, making him do a doubletake. The falcon was incensed. He gutted Mordecai in the stomach with his fist, sending him reeling backwards in pain. At that moment Blithe's loud wails could be heard; she had heard what was going on in there and sensed that it wasn't good.

Carlos smirked and looked at Margaret slyly, "Ohh…so you got knocked up by this douche? Wow. Wonder what your little accidental spawn looks like, hmm?" He was about to step into the kitchen when Mordecai tripped him. He tumbled to the floor, busting his forehead open once his head came into contact with the hard floor. Carlos yelled in agony as blood gushed everywhere, clutching his lacerated forehead to stop the blood flow. While Mordecai had him held down, Margaret slowly got to her knees and dashed into the kitchen, grabbing her phone and immediately dialing 911. As she talked to the operator, the robin went over to Blithe's highchair to comfort the crying girl. When Blithe got a glimpse of her mommy she wailed louder; mommy's cheek had blood on it. The big man hurt mommy!

"Listen here you A-hole," Mordecai growled into the falcon's ear, "Nobody hits my Margaret! You're gonna pay!"

Carlos smirked; he was weak and unable to get up but he wasn't too weak to smile. "Yeah right, Margaret was mine before you came into the picture. I had her first! I bet you're not the only boyfriend she has. Have you looked at your daughter in the mirror recently? I bet she looks nothing like you! Margaret probably got knocked up by some other attractive, bigoted pig. Ever wondered that?"

Mordecai dug his fingers deep into Carlos' neck, "You liar. Don't even try it. You can't fool me." In the distance Mordecai could faintly hear police sirens. He smiled, "Oh look, your friends are here to pick you up. Why don't we go say hi?" He violently pulled Carlos up to his feet; at this point Carlos was rapidly losing blood and was getting weaker by the minute.

As the blue jay pulled him outside concerned neighbors gathered around the house, mumbling and conversing with other alarmed citizens. Three police cars pulled up and six officers each got out, walking toward Mordecai and Carlos with weapons drawn and ready at any moment.

"Put your hands on the ground!" Ordered the main officer, the chief, with his gun extended and cocked. Mordecai slowly released Carlos and obediently put his hands on the grass. Carlos then decided to make a run for it. He sprinted away from the ground, only to fall down again seconds later. The enormous loss of blood forced his muscles to shut down completely. He instantly fainted.

The other officers rushed over to Carlos' side and made sure none of his pockets held any weapons. Margaret ran outside with Blithe held tightly in her arms. "Mordecai!" She screamed, racing over to her boyfriend. Tears streamed down her face in profusion as she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. The blue jay returned the hug, kissing her repeatedly, "It's okay Maggie, he's gone now. The police are gonna take him away and we won't see him again. I promise everything's going to be okay."

The chief of police walked over to Mordecai and Margaret. "Are you Mordecai Quintel?" He questioned. Mordecai nodded. The chief then looked at Margaret, "And you're Margaret Smith?" Another nod. The chief sighed, "Can either of you identify that man?" He pointed toward Carlos, who was being hauled into an ambulance which had arrived on the scene moments ago.

Margaret nodded, holding Mordecai and Blithe tightly, "Carlos Fernando. He was my old highschool boyfriend. We were going to get married after we came back from our colleges, and I guess I promised to meet him somewhere as soon as we graduated, but I forgot about it after meeting Mordecai." She mentally swore to herself; how was the officer supposed to believe that, even if it was true? It sounded like a coverup although it really did happen. She certainly didn't want to be taken in for questioning if he didn't believe her story.

The chief nodded, "Ah yes, Carlos Fernando. Everyone down at the station knows who he is. His father was a dead-on serial killer; he would take his victims down to his basement, chain them up, torture them for a few hours and then cut them up and place their remains in a freezer, just because he wanted to relieve his depression in the only way that seemed to work for him, which was killing people. He died not too long ago, and that's when we learned about his son. Carlos tried to commit suicide after he learned of his father's death. His mother took him to therapy every day to get him to stop, but it was no avail. Carlos killed his mother not to long after his father's funeral and then was taken to an insane asylum for treatment. He was recently released and said something about meeting up with his old girlfriend to propose to her."

Margaret gasped, putting her wing over her mouth. She knew that Carlos had a tragic past, but this was mind-blowing. She broke down into another sob and buried her head into Mordecai's chest, not wanting to hear the rest of the story.

The chief sighed, "Again, I'm truly sorry that this had to happen to you both. I know that you just moved in today, as the phone signals from this house weren't on until earlier today. Tell you what; no charges will be filed against you, although we might need to take both of you downtown for questioning. Does that sound timely for you?"

"Of course," Mordecai answered immediately. "We'll be there any time you need us."

"Good. If you have any questions or need anything else, you can call me. Here's my number." He withdrew a paper pad from his pocket and scribbled down his number, handing the paper to Mordecai. "Again, I'm terribly sorry." He tipped his hat toward them and got in his police cruiser, then drove off with the other officers.

As soon as the officers had left, the neighbors began to drift away from the scene, no longer interested as they simply thought that the case had been closed and there were no further problems. Hurt and in shock of what had happened, Mordecai and Margaret walked back into their new home in an attempt to clear their minds of their shocking, deadly encounter.

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**Too violent? Sorry if it scared you or grossed you out, I had this idea in my head and couldn't let it go. XD But anyway, Mordo and Mags have finally moved into what they think is their dream home. But they are unaware of the horrors that are awaiting them...**

**Also, the next chapter will be sweet and normal and happy, I promise. :)**


	9. Dreams and a Visit to the Doctor

**Holy crap you guys, I am so, so, SO sorry for updating this late! I've literally been procrastinating all week long. I'm sorry… D:**

**Well, on the bright side, you can say that most of you were correct! SPOILER: Indeed, Rigby is going to be the villain (it will be explained in later chapters, just trust me), but there will be a twist!~ I decided to tell you guys early because by now it was painfully obvious (and a certain reviewer made me realize that I've been leaving you all hanging). So here's another chapter, basically a Margaret chapter. Don't worry, there will be much more Mordecai and Blithe to come. ;)**

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Morning came slowly for Margaret, who lay fast asleep in her bed, her chest rising and falling with deep, peaceful, serene breaths. Dreams flitted behind her eyes. She dreamt that she was standing on a high wooded hilltop. "I am the Queen of these Woods," she thought. "This is my land, a womanland of mystery and enchantment where my magic is as swift and sure as the hawk, as powerful and enduring as the she-bear. This is my place of power and none may challenge me here. I guard and ward this land and it protects me, for we are one."

Far away, on the eastern horizon, the crest of another hill shimmered with an incredible afterglow. She stood sentinel over the land and waited as the source of the golden radiance drew near. She was able to distinguish that the light was a mounted knight in golden Armor. The knight galloped and cantered up the hill. The knight leveled his weapon as if preparing to charge. After a moment, he raised the spear in salute and reversed and grounded the point in the earth. He strode toward her in six long paces, paused and drew his sword. The knight aimed the sword toward her momentarily, then raised it in salute, reversed and grounded it too. Once more he strode until they were separated by but three steps. He took one step more, then bowed deeply and knelt on the turf.

"Who are you horseman, who invades my domain?", Margaret demanded.

"I am he who you seek," came the muffled reply from within the helmet.

"I seek no cavalier," she countered, "Be off with you!"

"I may not, for my destiny lies here," said the knight.

"If you remain you shall meet thy doom. Depart henceforth knight, that you may live!", she threatened.

"You are my doom!" The knight exclaimed. He bowed his head and removed his helmet, casting it aside.

Margaret couldn't see his face; his head was so low all she could see was a blue haze. Suddenly the dream shifted and everything slowly began to go in and out of focus. "If I am your doom, then what are you to me?", she taunted.

"I am your true love," he spoke in a soft voice, raising his head and looking into her eyes for the first time. Margaret looked at his face and realized that the knight was Mordecai. She nodded in agreement, gave him her hand and said, "Arise, Mordecai, and prove thy love. If you succeed, I shall become your eternal bride. Let us walk together in the grove."

Mordecai rose and they began to walk towards the grove, hand-in-hand when suddenly the dream came to an abrupt end. The morning light crept across Margaret's sleeping visage. It shined through her eyelids and coaxed her back into the waking world. She sighed and opened her eyes. Ever since they moved in she refused to share a bed with Mordecai for vague reasons. Feeling nothing beside her in her large bed made her feel empty inside.

When she was fourteen (the age she started dating), her mom always told her to take it slow and easy, if she rushed taking things to the next level everything would crash. She had a place for those words in her heart.

Margaret trudged downstairs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. When she reached the bottom, she noticed that Blithe was sitting in a bouncy chair, dulcetly sucking on a pacifier. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw her mother. She extended her wings towards the robin and cooed in pleasure, wanting to be held.

Margaret smiled and walked towards her, "Hi sweetie. Whatcha doin'?"

Blithe blinked and continued to nurse on her pacifier.

The robin giggled, "Comere you." She lifted her out of the bouncy chair, "That's enough bouncing for today. You want some breakfast?" Blithe cooed again and grabbed Margaret's curls. Margaret laughed and pried her tiny fingers away, "Silly girl." She carried her into the kitchen where Mordecai was cooking pancakes.

"Hey Maggie, hey B," Mordecai greeted, leaning over and kissing them both. Margaret received a peck on the lips while Blithe got a sloppy kiss on the cheek, which inevitably made her squeal in delighted discomfiture. He flipped the pan a final time before sliding a fresh, slightly-tanned, fluffy pancake onto a readied plate. He handed the plate to Margaret and smiled, "You alright?"

Margaret sighed, placing Blithe in the highchair and bringing up the safety strap up between her legs to buckle it around her waist. Once she was securely strapped in the chair, the robin took a seat at the table just as Mordecai sat down with his own plate of pancakes.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright. I honestly thought that Carlos was going to kill you or Blithe or myself. But it's over now, right?" Margaret murmured, delicately smoothing a slice of butter over her pancake. Mordecai put his arm around her and drew closer to her, nuzzling her cheek, "If that dude shows his ugly mug around here again, I'll protect you both no matter what. Nothing's gonna stop me."

Suddenly Blithe started to whimper, shifting in her highchair awkwardly. "Ma-ma! Foo'!" She demanded. Margaret giggled and stood up, "She's really getting used to calling me mama. I'll take care of this." She went to prepare Blithe's breakfast; a bowl of oatmeal and applesauce alongside a bottle of formula.

Mordecai took another bite of his breakfast and spoke up, "Hey, I looked at the news this morning. We're supposed to get some snow later on tomorrow. No wonder it's been so chilly out lately." "Really? It's already gonna start snowing? Wow." The robin replied, returning with a tiny bowl of oatmeal and a bottle of formula in hand. She looked over at Blithe peculiarly and sighed, "You know…I wonder how old she really is. Like, we won't even know her birthday. When is her birthday anyway?"

Mordecai shrugged, "I don't know… we found her in a basket. How should we know?"

"Maybe we should schedule a doctor's appointment, just in case. That alright?" Margaret asked.

"Sure. We should get her checked out and vaccinated anyway."

With that being said, Margaret stood up to go make a phonecall.

The clock struck noon and Mordecai went off to pursue his new job as an office assistant. It made good money, enough to support his new family. While he was out, Margaret had made arrangements with one of the children's pediatricians at the local children's hospital to check out Blithe and get her vaccinated. At first she was hesitant, knowing that the regular reaction to "shots" for children was not pretty. She hoped that Blithe would go easy on the doctor when the time came.

After arriving at the clinic, she strode in with Blithe in her arms, fast asleep and sucking on her pacifier. The robin walked up to the counter and tapped it, getting the secretary's attention. The secretary smiled at the adorable baby sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms before saying, "How may I help you today?"

"I'm here for a check-up for my um… my daughter Blithe." She stammered. The secretary nodded and handed Margaret a few papers, "Sign these," she said, pointing towards a few chairs, "You may sit and wait over there. A nurse will direct you to your room shortly."

"Thank you." Margaret did as she was told and sat down in one of the chairs next to another mother holding her fussy child, who looked to be about three. He and his mother were both apparent kangaroos, as the floppy ears, pointed noses, and long tails weren't obvious enough. Blithe noticed the younger kangaroo's discomfort and slowly placed her tiny hand on his shoulder as if to console him. The three-year-old joey looked at her strangely and pulled away in disgust.

"Is that your little one? She looks darling." The female kangaroo said to Margaret, smiling. Margaret smiled back, "Thank you…your little boy seems very sweet." "Aw, yes, he's a little shy and slow. My name is Katrina, nice to meet you. And this is my little joey…Joey."

Margaret stifled back a giggle.

At that moment a nurse appeared, staring at Margaret. "Blithe Quintel and her mother?" She called. The robin stood up and nodded, following the nurse to their room. Blithe was laid down on a large testing table to be measured, weighed, the works. Blithe whimpered in dismay as the nurse carefully measured her height, and then weighed her on the weighing scale.

"Nineteen pounds, thirty-two inches, and she's about eleven months old as of now. That's reasonable enough. It appears that she is somehow half turkey, half owl by the looks of it." The nurse proclaimed, handing the frightened Blithe to Margaret. "I'll be back soon with a pediatrician. In the meantime, you're welcome to turn on the TV over here to entertain Blithe and yourself." With that, the nurse left.

Margaret looked around the room, eventually spotting the little TV sitting on a small desk nearby with a remote next to it. She turned on the TV, settling Blithe on her lap and giving the baby girl the remote to fiddle with while she watched the program. It was a children's cartoon, meant for toddlers and infants her age, called "Cuddly Bubbies".

Blithe was perfectly content to sit in her mommy's lap and watch the strange, meaningless, colored forms on the TV in front of her. She enjoyed the funny voices that the cartoon characters had. She clumsily clapped her hands together in delight several times during the program and cooed in pleasure whenever the cartoon characters spoke.

About twenty minutes later a kindly-faced human doctor with brown hair entered the room, approximately forty years of age at best. The doctor smiled at Margaret and shook hands with her, "You must be Ms. Smith. Hi, I'm doctor Beth Marshalls." She then promptly took a seat. "Are we ready for vaccinations?"

"Sure. Blithe, sweetie, it's time to turn off the TV." The robin took the remote away from the little fowl, much to her dismay. Blithe squealed in protest as Margaret pressed a button, throwing the main power to the screen. Pouting, Blithe was laid back down on the exam table, lying on her tummy. She froze as she felt doctor Marshalls' scent near her, and eventually she could feel warm hands touching her down below. Blithe squirmed uncomfortably in attempt to get away, but the doctor's adult strength was no match for her.

Doctor Marshalls gently pulled down Blithe's diaper, revealing her charms to both women. Blithe was confused as to what was happening, but she didn't like it. Then she saw it. Doctor Marshalls withdrew a long needle connected to a tube filled with an unknown, transparent fluid. The sharpness of the needle terrified her immensely. Blithe cried out in psychological pain as the needle was inserted into her rear, tears cascading down her face. She cried out incoherently for her mama, screaming in indignation and mental agony.

Margaret took action and sprung to her feet, dashing over to her daughter's side. She stroked Blithe's head and cheek with her hand, whispering mothering noises in her ear to soothe the wailing girl. Blithe's cries ceased as the needle was abruptly removed and no further pain was felt.

Margaret breathed a sigh of relief.

Doctor Marshalls smiled, wiping the area clean with a non-stinging wipe. She dabbed a fingertip-sized dot of healing lotion on the spot and covered the wound with a band aid. "Awww, what a brave little one! Such a good girl." The doctor praised, rubbing Blithe's back encouragingly. Blithe continued to cry; why was this happening to her? Mama pulled her diaper back up and picked her up, embracing her in a big warm hug.

"I'm so proud of you Blithe, you were really brave sweetie." Margaret wasn't sure if she was doing it right; afterall, she'd never been a mother to someone like this before. Sure, taking care of her cousins when they were hurt or sad was easy, but this…this was something way different. As she hugged the girl tighter she felt a tingle surge up her spine, making her shudder involuntarily.

Blithe whimpered to herself quietly, gripping her mother's blouse and saying in a soft, coarse voice, "Mama."

Margaret's heart melted. The tingling increased as she felt her heart swell with sympathy. Mama…she'd never been called that before. When they were young her cousins often called her "Mama-Sissy-Cuz", but definitely not Mama…

After thanking the doctor, Margaret left the clinic and strapped Blithe into her carseat. By now the vaccine had already taken effect and made her sleepy. Without another word, the robin drove back to the house.

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**Not much happened here, I know. But guess what? 'Next chapter will be about Blithe going to daycare and Mordo and Mags going out on a date! Sound good? Good! Sound terrible? GET OUT!**

**...Haha, just kidding, obviously xD**

**Until then, see ya next chapter :3**


	10. Four Years

**Okay, scratch that…I've decided to skip ahead a few years into the story. About four years have passed since the last chapter. I know that I said that Blithe was gonna go to daycare and that Mordecai and Margaret would go out on another date but…as you probably already know I'm so bad at making promises… Sorry you guys :(**

**As for my other stories…let's just say that a short hiatus is in order.**

**I feel really, really bad now…like I've betrayed a lot of you…*sigh***

**So this chapter isn't really gonna be an official one. And at this point Mordecai and Margaret are FINALLY engaged! Whoo-hoo! I've also decided to do something new: before the real beginning of this chapter I'm going to do short drabbles/montages of what has happened in the last four years of this story. Starting with when Blithe learns how to walk, talk…etc.**

**Anyway, enjoy and please leave a review to tell me what ya thought of it!**

* * *

_"Come on B, you can do it! Walk to the camera!" Mordecai's voice shouted. The camera panned towards a little bird, shaking slightly as she attempted to put one foot in front of the other while gripping the couch for support. Margaret came up beside Blithe, smiling as she took her hands off the couch and into hers. The robin pecked her cheek, smiling as she looked her in the eye. "Okay honey, let's go for walkies!"_

_Margaret carefully walked Blithe backwards, keeping a firm grip on her hands and her eyes locked on her daughter's, smiling in encouragement the whole way. Walking was tricky indeed. With each step, Blithe's legs jerked upward rather than smoothly lifting. She stepped too high, all her movements exaggerated, awkward. Her foot would then slap down hard, toes turning inward. With each step, her body swayed left or right, pitched forward or slipped backwards. Only Mommy's firm grip on her outstretched arms kept her standing upright._

_Mordecai grinned from behind the camera as he viewed his fourteen-month-old daughter who stood unsteadily on her two feet and maintained stability by holding on to Margaret's hands. Slowly, Margaret released her grip and left Blithe standing in the middle of the living room. She crouched down to her knees on the carpet and patted the floor with one hand while she waved the other in the air, beckoning Blithe to come over to her._

_The little bird stood there, trembling in confusion. Tentatively, she took a step forward. Her legs wobbled dangerously but she continued. Blithe swung her right foot past the left, going for her second step, but as it was set down her foot rolled on its side and her knee gave way. The next thing she knew Blithe has lost her balance and tumbled to the floor, her cheek and arm the first to make impact with the carpeted floor._

_Though she felt little pain, Blithe began to bawl out of shock and hurt pride. Mordecai and Margaret both reacted quickly, rushing to the girl's aid. Before he approached the wailing girl, Mordecai went over to the camera and that's where the tape ended._

* * *

_"It's February 29th, 2014, probably six in the morning. It's a certain someone's birthday, and that certain someone decided to sneak out when no one was looking and have a little snack before the party guests got here. Blithe…" Mordecai's voice spoke sternly as the camera panned towards a two-year-old Blithe who sat on the floor, legs splayed out and her eyes glazed over in a daze. Her pajamas were completely covered in chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, as well as her hands and face. Blithe stared at the camera, licking her fingers clean as her dad continued, "Did you eat your birthday cake before everybody else?"_

_Blithe shook her head in denial, though her father was clearly able to see through the façade. Mordecai stifled back a laugh and even though his face wasn't visible from behind the camera, you could almost hear his smirk. "Well, don't tell mommy. Can I have a lick too?" That's where the tape ended._

* * *

_This time Margaret was holding the camera as she and a seemingly three-year-old Blithe stood in the bathroom. Blithe was completely naked, save for the pair of Disney Princess training pants that she wore around her waist. The sound of running bath water was heard vaguely in the background as Margaret began to speak._

_"Blithe? Today we're gonna learn about Mr. Potty." The robin announced. Blithe looked at her in confusion, "Bu' it baff time." She replied with a childlike lisp. "Yes sweetie, it is bath time, but before we do that you need to learn how to use the big girl potty like me and Daddy. Here, watch," Margaret grabbed Blithe's hand and led her over to the toilet._

_"You just lift the lid," Margaret demonstrated, "Sit down and do your business, and then you wipe yourself with the toilet paper over here and push down on this lever." She then flushed the toilet, making Blithe scream in terror. The little naked bird ran out of the bathroom, screeching for her daddy. Margaret sighed, "Blithe…" The tape ended there._

* * *

_"Daddy! Lookit! I can sing my ABCs now! Jus' watch!" An excited four-year-old Blithe jumped up and down in front of the camera, her ponytail jiggling wild and free as she jumped. She then began to chant, " O…" The little bird suddenly paused and looked down in shame. Mordecai's voice spoke, "Blithe? B? What's wrong, why did you stop? Did you forget the rest?" "No…" She answered. "Then what?" He inquired._

_"I don't wanna say the next letter because you'll laugh at me…" Blithe murmured. "B...you know I'm not going to laugh at you." Mordecai replied. Blithe shifted hesitantly, "Umm…otay…umm…P…umm..." She gazed up at her father to see his reaction and smiled in relief when he didn't say anything about it._

_"T'ank you… and Z…now I've sung my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me!" She punctuated her song with a little curtsy. Mordecai did his signature cheer, "B! That was awesome! I'm so proud of you!" Blithe then showed off her cute little toothy grin to the camera before the tape ended there._

* * *

_"It's October 31st, 2015," Margaret's voice spoke from behind the camera. "Halloween's here!" The house was chocked full of party guests clad in Halloween costumes, some single, some already married and towing around hungry children that begged their parents to have some of the treats on the kitchen table. Margaret filmed all the action; the apple bobbing contest, the "scariest costume" contest, and even the candy raid game._

_On the black tableclothed table in the middle of the kitchen, there was a profusion of goodies for the kids and their parents. A huge, black, plastic caldron filled with cranberry "Blood" fruit punch sat in the middle of the table._

_Candied apples on sticks that oozed gummy worms were gathered in a serving platter beside two large rectangular orange-colored baking dishes that hosted a pair of grassless graveyards made from chocolate pudding with dirt made from crumbled Chocolate Wafers and tombstones of oblong cookies that had decorations of horsemen, sculptured faces and other Medieval themes baked into their surface._

_Red cinnamon-eyed "ghosts" of several dollops of whipped cream "haunted" the graveyards. The centerpiece of the table was a gingerbread "Haunted House". Platters of skull and bone shaped shortbread cookies were on one side of the table and one the other were iced and highly decorated sugar cookies shaped like bats, cats, Halloween pumpkins and ghoulish faces._

_On the other side of the room, Mordecai, who was dressed up like a knight in shining armor, had set up an adult bar where he was prepared to serve traditional alcoholic drinks to the adults._

_As she was filming the scenery, Blithe photobombed the shot and popped up in front of the camera. She was dressed like an Indian princess, complete with painted markings on her face and a long, fuzzy brown gown, while a war bonnet had been tied to her head. "Hey there, my little Indian Princess, are you having fun?" Margaret's voice spoke._

_Blithe nodded eagerly, and then raced off towards the kitchen to sneak some snacks into her pocket. Margaret chuckled, and that's where the final tape ended._

* * *

**Okay, since I broke a promise on this chapter (I still feel horrible about it, believe me, I'm not gonna get over this for a couple of weeks), I can't guarantee what the next chapter is gonna be about but...I'm thinking that I start on Blithe's first day of Kindergarten, then Mordecai decides to propose to Margaret but chickens out a few times... which sounds better?**

**Again, you guys, I feel really terrible for breaking yet another promise on one of my stories. I did it on A Bunch of Little Kids, and I don't want what happened there to happen here. I kinda hope that this "happy" chapter fills in the void while I try and figure out what I'm doing with my life. Everything's messed up. Forgive me. D:**


	11. First Day of Kindergarten

"It's okay B, you're gonna be just fine."

Today was Blithe's first day of kindergarten, and she wasn't happy about it. And she wasn't enjoying her new school attire that her mother forced her to wear, especially her shirt. It was a rosy-red color that any little girl under the age of six would enviously adore. The picture of a baby-blue-eyed kitten with a petite pink bow on the crown of its head was sewn onto the front. The words "I'm Cute" were spelled out in fancy bold letters. Her pants weren't any different; the long purple jeans she wore had cute little designs of yellow flowers on the cuffs. It was all so saccharine sweet it made her want to gag.

Blithe had turned out to be much like her father. A little bit of a tomboy, but nonetheless she enjoyed playing with Barbie dolls or stuffed animals. But she certainly didn't like all the girly outfits that her mother picked out for her to wear. _Especially_ this one.

With a glossy Barbie backpack swung over her shoulder, the five year old fowl edged her way across the playground in front of the elementary school, tightly clutching her daddy's hand. Her simple plastic and rubber flip-flops scraped across the blacktop and she tried to keep her eyes focused on them and not on the swarming hordes of children. Most of them were older than her, the oldest appearing to be close to six or seven at best. She spotted a group of kids playing on a jungle-gym amidst the wood-chip covered playground area. One human girl was hanging upside down from the metal bars, her skirt flopping down to reveal her pink panties to everyone, though she didn't seem at all bothered. Beside her was a young squirrel boy dressed in corduroy overalls, picking his nose and making no attempt to conceal it.

Blithe gulped and tightened her grip. This was a very traumatizing experience for the young girl, since she'd never left home without her parents by her side. And now they were just going to leave her here.

Margaret knew that she was just being overdramatic, while Mordecai was having a hard time digesting all of this. He couldn't believe that his daughter was already heading off to Kindergarten. He got a little bit nostalgic as he led his daughter into the school building. The blue jay just wanted to scoop up his baby girl and protect her from the "evil" awaiting her arrival.

As they walked through the shining hallways of the Grow Together elementary school. The chalky-white walls outside of different rooms were covered in displays of classroom pride in the form of sheets of colorful construction paper with glued on macaroni designs, glitter, and even Popsicle stick art. Running along the wall just below the ceiling was a line of linked colored paper cut-outs in the shape of balloons, each with a name on them. Some were clearly written by an adult in black marker. Others had childish scribbles in crayon, barely decipherable as names.

Mordecai and Blithe passed several different rooms, each for different grade levels. The Busy Bees, the Sunshine Pals, and the Caterpillar Clubhouse. Through each door the ear-piercing screams of children were heard, sending a chill down Blithe's spine. Her stomach churned and sloshed in anxiety, she was sure that she was going to throw up.

Soon enough they arrived at Blithe's classroom, the Bookworm Buddies. Blithe peeped in disapproval as Mordecai released her hand from his thoughtful grip and opened the door to the classroom. A kindly looking brown-haired woman in a fuzzy knitted sweater and a long dotted skirt approached Mordecai and Blithe, smiling cheerfully down at the quaking bird that recoiled at her father's feet.

She nodded understandingly at her reaction and knelt down next to her, saying in a soft reassuring voice, "You must be Blithe Quintel. Hello there. I'm Ms. Emma. Are you excited for your first day here in the Bookworm Buddies classroom?" She offered a small wave. Blithe liked this lady already. Ms. Emma smelled like flowers and her warm maternal smile made her feel much more comfortable around her. Blithe nodded and flashed a shy smile, cowering behind Mordecai's tall legs bashfully as a hot red blush peppered her face.

Ms. Emma chuckled and stood up, flattening her ruffled skirt. "And you must be Mr. Quintel, Blithe's father. So nice to see you again." She smiled brightly. Mordecai smiled back, "Same. Blithe's kind of been nervous about coming here. Heck, so am I." He laughed. Ms. Emma nodded patiently, "I understand." She chimed in a musical tone. "Most parents are uncomfortable letting their children go out and experience the real world. Believe me; I know how it feels at the end of each year when my students move on to a higher grade. I never was able to have kids of my own, so I think of them as my own children. But eventually I realize that they're learning new things and growing every day, and that makes me happy for them."

"_Wow, and I thought I was the speech master._" Mordecai laughingly thought. He smiled thinly, "That's really touching. I mean, Blithe's my little butterfly." He motioned to the fearful girl below him.

"Daddddddyyyy…" Blithe moaned.

"Sorry B. But I just love you so much." He bent down, lifted the girl into his arms and pecked her cheek with a kiss. "I'll see you later B. Me or Mom will be here later to pick you up and take you home, I promise."

"Daddy, stay here!" Blithe squeaked, tears springing to her eyes.

"No B, I gotta go to work. I can't stay," It tore up Mordecai's heart seeing his daughter cry out for him. But he had to stay strong.

"Noooo! Please stay!" Blithe wailed.

"Blithe, calm down sweetheart. I promise I'll come back this afternoon to take you home. You'll have loads of fun here! You might even make some friends if you try." He winked at her, making her giggle. The blue jay ruffled her hair, "There's that smile. Now go on, I'll be back later." He kissed her forehead and gently lowered her to the ground. "Later B."

As soon as he left, Ms. Emma led Blithe to her new desk, next to a tan and white colored female weasel, wearing a dark blue dress and a ribbon in her short hair. The weasel's light blue eyes lit up as Blithe took the empty seat next to her. Once Blithe was seated, the weasel spoke up, "Hi! My name is Madison!" She greeted with a small wave of her hand.

"M-my name is Blithe." Blithe stammered a little at first, but she was able to get control of her tongue. The weasel grinned, pointing to the desk behind them, "And you see them? Those are my friends Seth and Kyle."

Blithe turned around to see two boys looking at her. Seth was a white shaggy dog and Kyle was a tan cat with slick black hair. They noticed the two girls staring at them and smiled and waved. Blithe felt a blush pepper her cheeks when she saw Kyle. She shyly waved back just as the teacher tapped her ruler on her desk to get the attention of the classroom.

* * *

**It's short, but at least I was able to update it. So sorry for the delay, lots of pressure and stress is weighing me down D:**

**Anyway, yay! Blithe's first day of kindergarten! And she made friends! :)**

**Well, see ya next chapter! Please review and tell me what you thought!**


	12. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause

It was Christmas Eve, just hours away before the arrival of "Santa". The whole street was glowing brightly with Christmas lights. A thick blanket of snow covered the grass and small clans of individual snowmen stood in the middle of their respective yards. Mollified families and their progenies gathered around the fireplace in their homes, drinking mugs of hot chocolate and laughing as they recalled the Christmas' before.

A restless Blithe quietly and vigilantly tip-toed out of bed. Her parents had sent her to bed thirty minutes before and yet she was still too excited about Christmas morning. This happened every year; even locking the door wouldn't stop Blithe. She would use the tiny, plastic fingers of one of her Barbie dolls to pick the lock to her door and set her free. The little bird would dash downstairs, expecting to see a profuse abundance of presents patiently assembled under the gaily decorated tree, only to find an empty ring around the flickering tree. Disappointed, Blithe would skulk back upstairs furiously and go back to bed in hopes of waking up to see a fully stocked tree in the morning.

Margaret was in the kitchen, having gotten up to get herself a drink. Clothed only in her fuzzy pink bathrobe, the robin filled her glass with water and chugged it down. She readied herself to go back to bed when she saw Mordecai walk into the kitchen, all dressed up in a flashy Santa costume. Margaret stifled a laugh, "Do you have to do this every year?"

Mordecai smirked, ignoring her remark, "You look nice."

Margaret blushed, "It's only a robe, Mordecai."

Mordecai strode toward her, wrapping his arms around her neck. He smirked playfully, waving a small mistletoe over their heads, "You know what they say about Christmas traditions." The blue jay's lips connected with hers. Margaret tensed as his lips crashed against hers, but she soon melted into the contact, wrapping her arms around his waist to bring him closer. He deepened the kiss, and they stood there for a good few minutes, completely lost to the world around them. Only when Margaret moved away from his lips did reality come flooding back to them.

The robin giggled, "Well what was that all about?"  
"I think you look sexy." The blue jay whispered. She blushed again, this time with a smile. "Come on big boy. If you really want some, we can take this to the couch." She whispered, breathlessly and carnally. Mordecai smirked and they both stammered into the living room, still dizzy from their kiss. In a matter of seconds they were both on top of each other on the couch, straddling and kissing each other passionately.

At that moment Blithe bounded down the stairs for the second time that night. As she made it to the final step she saw Mommy lying on the couch with a stranger on top of her. It was Santa Clause! Mommy was kissing Santa Clause! The little bird was shocked and delighted at the same time. Smiling, she slowly went back to her room. Maybe Santa would give her even more presents if she let him borrow Mommy for a little while…

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**Just a short little Christmas-themed chapter. This should have been published two days ago but I got lazy and needed to spend time with the family...you know :/**

**Anyway, I know it was short (and a little on the weird side), but I wanted to publish it anyway. As for the Christmas chapter of A Bunch of Little Kids, Send Em to the Moon, I'm thinking about writing and publishing it somewhere around/after New Years. I dunno. o_O**

**Merry late Christmas, everyone!**


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